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The CW Expanding to 7 Nights (!), Adding Saturday Programs This Fall

More than three years after adding Sunday fare to its slate, The CW is going for the full “seven-nights-a-week,” by programming primetime Saturday as well.

Effective with the upcoming 2021-22 TV season, The CW will expand its primetime schedule to include Saturday, it was announced this afternoon by network CEO Mark Pedowitz. As such, The CW this fall will offer 14 hours of primetime programming each week (airing Monday through Sunday, from 8 to 10 pm ET).

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The move not only adds to The CW’s linear viewing options, but in turn bolsters the amount of programming that will be available after broadcast each week on the network’s streaming platforms.

The CW will kick off its first Saturday night of primetime programming on October 2, with Night 1 of the iHeartRadio Music Festival. (Night 2 will follow on Sunday, October 3.) The network’s regularly scheduled Saturday line-up will be announced at a later date — perhaps as early as at the May 25 Upfront presentation.

“Becoming a seven-night-a-week network has been a long-standing goal for everyone here at The CW,” Rob Tuck, EVP of National Sales, said in a statement, “and in an extremely tight broadcast environment, the ability to expand our primetime by two more hours each week is a dynamic shift that will be gladly welcomed by our clients and the agencies. Following the recent industry trend which has seen considerable contraction on a linear basis, The CW will buck that trend this season by adding a new night of original programming, creating new opportunities for us going forward.”

What do you think about The CW’s big move? Which regularly scheduled shows do you think(/fear) will christen this new night?

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