The Frog

Sook: “We, as the owner of The CW, are constructing a new affiliation agreement template that is going to allow affiliates to opt out of The CW deal with the virtual MVPD and cut their own deal — or they can opt in to the deal that we have already established for them.”

Both parties are happy with its performance, so it'll probably continue.

Asked by Nathanson what the company has learned from broadcasting LIV so far, Sook quipped, “What we’ve learned is you probably don’t want to switch to the app with a three-man playoff with Dustin Johnson in it with three holes to go. But usage of the app on Sunday was up 340%, so life wasn’t all bad.”

The announcers said CW stations were ending coverage but it would continue on the CW app, so it wasn’t like it was cut off without warning. They went 30 mins over their allotted broadcast time due to a rain delay. Those watching the live simulcast on the app had uninterrupted coverage. (DJ took it in a three-man playoff. Great round of golf.)

Asked about last week’s long-expected news that eight CBS stations in major markets are ditching their CW affiliations and going independent, Sook said three Nexstar-owned stations in the same markets appear to be on track to become CW affiliates.

Walker survives the Nexstar axe, but the spin-off wasn't so lucky.

Nexstar appeared to have developed a cozy relationship with KUSI since they took LIV Golf in lieu of KFMB, and now it’s culminated in an outright sale and a future CW affiliation. As for KFMB’s agreement, I think both parties would pursue an early exit from that. I think this is going to go down in other markets as well. Nexstar and Tegna appear to be at odds over CW, stemming from the latter’s refusal to carry LIV.

Eight CBS Stations To Ditch CW And Go Independent This Fall

The CW (or ION) is being floated as a home for the Pac-12.

NBC dropping 10pm is still considered a 'real possibility' for the 2024-25 season.

Another round of layoffs for the network.

The broadcast schedule is out. One difference this year is all games will air on linear TV, with a majority on broadcast (Fox & NBC) with higher profile lead-ins. Instead of Peacock exclusive games, all NBC and USA Network games will simulcast on Peacock.

You’ve got your wish.

Sook said advertising on LIV Golf was selling “very well” and that Nexstar stations were generating three times the revenue from LIV Golf than it was getting from other network programming. Sounds like they're happy with it.

CW Acquisition Has Already Paid For Itself, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook Says Sports beyond LIV are also in the crosshairs of Nexstar, Sook said. Without offering specifics, he said the company is evaluating “sports opportunities that could bleed into primetime.”

Scripps Sports: Phones ‘Already Ringing’ as Regional Sports Nets Implode

LIV On CW: Behind Nexstar’s Drive To Secure TV Stations For Controversial Golf League

It looks like Nexstar has made a deal to add CW affiliates to Hulu's Live TV service.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2023/2/7/perry-sook-vs-cbs Sources tell FTVLive that CBS will decline running the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour on the CW stations that CBS owns. CBS is not going to do anything that will cause harm to their relationship with the PGA and they will refuse to air the LIV Golf telecasts on The CW stations that they own. This will put CBS in violation of their CW contract and that will give Perry Sook the option to pull the network affiliation from those CBS owned stations.

More layoffs. Seems like almost every executive involved with scripted originals has been let go. So much for that Babylon 5 reboot.

The LIV Golf deal is official. From the logo on Nexstar’s press release, it looks like ‘The CW Sports’ branding is a thing now.

LIV Golf has found their U.S. TV home with The CW in a multi-year deal. Weekend tournaments will air live on The CW, while Friday rounds will stream on CW’s AVOD app.

They're looking at having fewer than five U.S. scripted originals on the lineup. It'll be interesting to see what else makes the cut.

The schedule is out.

SBJ's John Ourand predicts that LIV Golf will make a deal with The CW, and says that there's some "smoke" to this prediction (38:55).