The CW network is giving up entirely on Sunday nights and will no longer air programming.
The web confirmed late Monday it is in advanced talks with its affils to give up five hours of network time, 5-10 p.m., on Sunday, which has long been a weak spot for CW and its WB Network predecessor. CW said it decided to make the move in order to focus all of its programming resources on its Monday-Friday slate.
CW said backing out of Sunday entirely would be good for the network as well as for its affils. The low Sunday numbers drag down the net's weekly and season-long ratings averages, while affils are stuck with being off the primetime radar on the night and saddled with a weak lead-in to late newscasts.
Although local TV advertising sales have been hard hit by the economic downturn, stations would still rather have more control over the Sunday program lineup and the ability to keep more of the advertising time rather than be saddled with low-rated network fare.
It's understood that most CW affils are in the process of cutting deals for an expansive movie package from MGM on a barter advertising basis. That means stations pay no money upfront and will be able to hang onto as much as six to eight minutes of the 14-15 minutes of ad time in each hour, compared with three minutes of time in the network-supplied movie. And the titles in the package for the upcoming season are said to be a higher caliber of pics than the titles CW has been supplying affils.
In a statement, CW said the Sunday shuffle "would provide a new revenue opportunity for the stations, while at the same time expand upon our successful weekday strategy from this year, which resulted in ratings growth among our target audience."
It will be up to the local affiliates to fill the airtime. If the movie deal goes through, then there will most likely be MGM movies available on Sunday nights.
