It looks increasingly probable that the CW, which was the result of the merging of WB and UPN by CBS (NYSE:CBS-A) and Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), may be the first network to succomb to the Internet, as its core demographic flees the youth-focused channel.
The network has lost a huge 28 percent of its target audience this year, as the 18-34 year olds defect in droves to the Web. They've never recovered from the Writers Strike, which hastened the exodus of viewers from the network.
At the beginning of the network, advertisers were thrilled with the idea of a young audience they could target their wares to, but that has diminished as viewership had fallen over the last several years, with the exception of a slight increase in 2007.
Ratings during the sweeps this month have fallen by close to 22 percent, making advertising revenue outlooks dim for the channel.
In an attempt to deflect criticism and protect their jobs, executives for the CW blame the measurement system of Nielsen, rather than accept responsibility themselves.
Network president Dawn Ostroff said this, "Our young audience certainly knows how to get their content in different ways, and we have to figure out different ways to measure how they're getting it."
The problem with blaming the measuring system is that all networks use similar systems, and they, for the most part, don't attribute declining numbers to faulty systems. There of course will be higher viewership when including alternative platforms, but that alone could never account fully for the decline in numbers.
No matter how you measure it, in terms of percentages, the CW has been faltering in a big way and is in big trouble.
Some close to the situation say that at least one of the network's owners will leave the deal if progress isn't made this year, increasing pressure on the remaining owners.
Another problem the network has, is in spite of the assertion its core demographic is 18-34 year old women, the median age of its viewers is 34, questioning its ability to truly attract the younger audience it targets.
All of this may show that nothing targeting this demo will work, as the younger crowd simply prefers the Internet to consume their entertainment with and spend their leisure time on.
The CW is in big trouble, and it standing on its last legs. I don't see why the owners continue to be willing to lose so much money on something that has had more than enough time to work.
The combination of the CW, along with its predecessors - UPN and WB, have lost over $2 billion since going on the air eleven years ago. To me is just plain stubborness and denial to keep this network going. It's one thing to stick to something, it's another to stick to it when there are no answers, and you continue to fight against an inevitable trend.
The CW needs to be abandoned and disguarded. There's no reason to think things will change in the future, as the Internet is where this demo will consume the majority of their entertainment. Nothing in the future will change that.
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