After initially denying they were giving Sunday back to the affiliates, The CW announced yesterday it was - finally waiving the white flag after getting pummeled in the ratings over the last few years.
The CW's ratings - and its predecessor The WB - ratings were so bad, the network decided last year to lease the Sunday night time slots to Media Rights Capital with forgettable junk such as Valentine and In Harm's Way - all of which earned lower rock-bottom ratings than the CW programming they replaced. CW ended the deal and is now filling the Sunday slots with syndicated programming and movies.
With the move, both CW and My Network TV - who earlier announced they were giving back two hours on Saturday Night back for affiliates to program - are both out of the network business on the weekends.
With The CW done on Sundays for good, syndicators will be lining up to grab some five hours worth of time periods available - notably at Tribune-owned CW affiliates. And Tribune is more than happy with their decision. The station group may be looking at airing some local programming to fill those time periods.
CW now can focus on its core weeknight lineup, which features Gossip Girl and 90210.
Even though CW is giving up on Sundays, it continues to program the 3-to-5 p.m. time period (with Tyra Banks' talk show beginning this fall) and leasing out Saturday Mornings to 4 Kids TV.
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