Man, the merger between The CW and Nexstar is a mess. So is the merger between Discovery+ and HBO Max. We don’t know about you, but the merger that is going on is one huge disaster. We’ve all seen the news about how Batgirl was canned in the late stages of post-production. Before that, we had The CW axing shows left and right. This has led people to wonder what is going on, which is why we’re going to try and explain it the best we can.
Please remember that this is not something we discuss that often. We don’t understand it as well as we should. But we’re going to give it a red-hot crack. So, let’s go over the most important thing; the content.
What Does The Merger Mean For The Content On The CW?
As we mentioned in our introduction, The CW has been cancelling shows left and right. However, the only thing that is still left that has not received an update is Stargirl. The third season had not received a release date at the time of the cancellation spree. However, it has now and is due to premiere in a couple of weeks.
A Manyhows have received early renewals, but those that didn’t were cut within days. The merger doesn’t affect The Flash or Riverdale, as they’re both going into their final seasons. However, the other shows still have a ton of life left. Some of these include Nancy Drew, Walker and Kung Fu. New shows have yet to be broadcast, including the Walker prequel, Walker: Independence and the Supernatural prequel, The Winchesters.
However, because many of the pre-existing shows were saved for their upcoming seasons doesn’t mean they’re safe in the long run. According to YouTuber Pagey in his video from yesterday, the Nexstar merger is a danger because they now control 75% of The CW. This means that they [Nexstar] now have the power to restructure what goes to air. Now, we have to mention that while we have a larger picture of what is happening, some of what Pagey said in the video is also speculative.
Streaming Platforms
It is thought that Nexstar wants to do away with The CW’s primetime slots. Now, most shows can just be moved to their respective streaming platforms if this is the case. However, Superman & Lois and Stargirl are co-financed and stream on HBO Max, which appears to be on the way out due to the merger with Discovery+. We’ll come back to that in a moment.
The CW has many of its shows on either Netflix or Paramount+. Though, it’s unclear how this extends to anything new in the pipeline like the upcoming Gotham Knights, which is due to premiere in 2023.
What Will Become Of The The CW Without Its Primetime Shows?
Like we mentioned earlier, The Flash and Riverdale are ending (note: NOT CANCELLED), so it doesn’t affect them too much. However, if the primetime stuff is pulled from the network, it will become like every other broadcast network in showing other content that is not original. That’s the vibe we got from how Pagey described it.
Also, Variety does not mention Stargirl in its article on the Nexstar merger. We believe the reason for this is because the show is only broadcast on The CW, and the financing for the show is co-funded by HBO Max. Another factor is that it was an original to the now defunct DC Universe streaming service for its first season. The first season was broadcast on The CW the day after it had aired on DC Universe.
According to Nexstar, as per Deadline, the average demographic is 58 years old, given the syndication. Now, the Deadline article mocks this idea, given the response that is going around online. These numbers are said by Nexstar’s COO (and president) Tom Carter. Yeah, we think it’s pretty outlandish that this guy would say that, given the primetime programming is aimed at the 18-35 demographic. But we’re not here to discuss that.
The Mess Going On With The HBO Max – Discovery+ Merger
Let’s review the messy merger between HBO Max and Discovery+. This has been going on for a while, and the canning of the Batgirl movie has made people question what is happening. Just an FYI, Batgirl is not the only film to be axed due to the merger.
The Scoob prequel movie was also scrapped, despite being the last phrase of post-production. It has been said that the score for the film was recorded after the announcement happened as they couldn’t just back out on the orchestra which had been booked beforehand.
What is also confusing is that many of HBO Max’s original programming, such as the remake movie The Witches, have been quietly removed from the platform.
Now, we want to point out here that it is normal for streaming platforms to remove content. Netflix does it all the time. Disney+ has done it too. However, there is usually some announcement beforehand. But it seems rather suspicious given that HBO Max is going through a merger.
Will The Original Programming Be Cancelled?
With any merger, you have to expect things will change. However, when beloved films and television shows are on the line, you have to wonder. So, with the HBO Max and Discovery+ merger, what happens with the original programming?
At the moment, it is unclear what is happening. We know James Gunn’s Peacemaker is safe for its second season. A concerned fan tweeted at him a few weeks ago, and Gunn responded that the show wasn’t going anywhere.
However, there is still a massive question mark over shows like Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol and Titans. Like Stargirl, all three of these shows were moved to HBO Max after DC Universe was shut down. In addition, though, Stargirl is more family-friendly and is co-broadcast on The CW. The others are aimed at the more adult demographic due to violence, coarse language, and sex.
The original programming aspect is still up in the air as of yet. So there’s no need to be alerted currently. But, again, we caution everyone to wait and see and not give into the rumours floating around on the internet.
No News Is Good News, Right?
To end this explainer, there is no way of knowing where things will land for specific projects. However, for Stargirl, Shawn McBee, the graphic designer on the show and the co-host of the Stargirl Aftershow podcast, has said previously that he is optimistic that they’ll be picked up for Season 4.
The show’s star, Brec Bassinger, also stated on the podcast that Geoff Johns has at least five seasons planned. She said this, we believe, just before Season 2 aired, so that could’ve changed between then and now. So when the mass cancellation happened, it was surprising that the show wasn’t axed with everything else.
Just because it was given an early renewal for previous seasons doesn’t mean it will again. While we want to hope that it is renewed for Season 4, something deep down is nagging at us that is telling us it won’t be saved. Look at what happened with Tom Swift. Though given the ratings the show received, perhaps the cancellation is warranted.
The Nexstar Rumour
There has been a rumour that Nexstar will only rely on the stats for live viewing and next-day streaming on the official CW app. We’re not sure if that is true, but it would be stupid if that’s what it was going to do. A lot of The CW content is on other streaming platforms, depending on the country it’s being broadcast in. For example, Superman & Lois and Stargirl are both on Binge in Australia, with a ton of Warner Brothers/HBO Max content. It doesn’t have everything, though, as it doesn’t have The Flash or Arrow.
If Nexstar will rely solely on live broadcast figure CW streaming app figures, then what’s the point in giving other streaming services the rights if their streaming numbers are not taken into account? Also, it’s a bad look for HBO Max, which airs many of the CW’s shows. But, again, what’s the point of keeping the programming on the platform if their numbers are not considered?
