Today, Nexstar and Sinclair announced a new deal that will see Sinclair-owned stations keep The CW network and expand into two new markets. Nexstar also announced that it will change one of its TV stations into a The CW affiliate in September.
With this deal, Sinclair will continue to offer The CW programming in 35 markets. and add two new ones with the addition of KOMO-TV in Seattle and WPNT in Pennsylvania. Both stations already had a partnership with The CW for live sports but will now offer the entire CW Programming offering.
“With The CW’s first-ever ACC college football game featuring the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Cincinnati Bearcats in primetime on September 9, we are pleased to be adding WPNT-TV in Pittsburgh and KOMOTV in Seattle to our affiliate group,” said Dennis Miller, President of The CW Network. “We appreciate that Sinclair values their partnership with The CW as we remake the network with our significant investment in sports, combined with a smart entertainment programming strategy that will further expand viewership on a local and national level.”
Nexstar will also switch KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City to carry The CW primetime content and live sports programming on September 1st, 2023.
“KAUT-TV has a legacy of providing their viewers, advertisers, and the community with outstanding service, and we are very pleased to be bringing The CW’s new programming line-up to the station this Fall,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. “Adding ACC college football and basketball, NASCAR Xfinity Series racing, ‘INSIDE THE NFL,’ and a full slate of new primetime entertainment programming to the station will drive viewership and increase opportunities for advertisers.”
This comes as, earlier this week, Nexstar the owners of The CW, announced a new deal with Gray Television to expand and extend their partnership to offer The CW. With this deal, Gray Television will renew its deals to offer The CW in 42 markets. In total, Gray Television will offer The CW in 55 markets, 13 of them are from a previous deal. Gray Television will also launch a new The CW affiliate in Atlanta Georiga on PeachtreeTV WPCH-TV on September 2nd, 2023.