The CW's Bold Sports Expansion Amidst Uncertain Scripted Show Future

The CW has expanded its live sports offerings on the network. In early 2022, the network was put up for sale by its parent company due to a lack of profitability. It was eventually purchased by Texas-based company Nexstar, who announced plans to retain only a few scripted shows after the 2022-2023 season. As part of this transition, a number of series, including Legacies, The Winchesters, Gotham Knights, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow, were cancelled.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The CW recently finalized a four-year agreement to broadcast live basketball and football games from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This deal will include a total of 50 games, with 13 football games, 28 men's basketball games, and nine women's basketball games. This expansion into sports programming follows The CW's previous coverage of live LIV Golf events and its acquisition of the show Inside the NFL.

Has The CW Lost Its Identity?

The CW has been dominated by a select few brands in its programming for several years. These include popular teen shows like The Vampire Diaries and Riverdale, superhero series within the DC-derived Arrowverse like The Flash and Supergirl, and rebooted series such as Charmed, Dynasty, and Roswell. Currently, each of these subgenres still has one show on the network, namely Walker season 4, All American season 6, All American: Homecoming season 3, and Superman & Lois season 4.

However, the future of these series remains uncertain. They have faced budget reductions and cuts in the cast, which may result in increased scrutiny of their ratings. With the instability of scripted series and the increasing number of affordable international acquisitions, the network's identity moving forward is uncertain.

The CW might be aiming to establish itself as a new destination for sports programming. This potential is supported by the fact that the only scripted series that has a spinoff running concurrently is the high school football show, All American. This strategic move could also be an effort to safeguard their upcoming lineup amid the current writers strike and the recently announced SAG-AFTRA strike. Nonetheless, it could have a lasting impact on their content for years to come.