CW Getting Out of the Sunday Night Game

According to Daily Variety, the CW network--the successor to the network that delivered Buffy and Jack and Bobby to teen's television sets--has bowed out of Sunday night programming.

On its Web site, the network confirmed its decision to drop programming for its 5-10 p.m. time slot. According to the CW, the decision was made to reorient money and resources towards its Monday-Friday programming.

In a statement, the network elaborated on the move. "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," the statement read.

The news frees up affiliates, who have traditionally been bound to follow the network's low-rated Sunday schedule de rigueur, resulting in opportunity costs in the thousands as precious advertising time slipped out of their grasp. Local news outlets are negotiating deals with MGM, among other studios, for access to their vault on a barter basis.

Under the terms of the deals, stations pay no money upfront and get to keep up to 6 to 8 minutes of the total 14-15 minutes of ad time per each hour of programming. The programming titles would be different, too--more high caliber and intellectual than the low fare mandated by the network.

The CW flirted with the decision to cancel Sunday programming this season with the move to outsource all programming for the 7-10 p.m. time slot to media company Media Rights Capital. When Media Rights Capital failed to come through with Easy Money and Valentine, the network canceled its contract with the company.

The CW has also flirted with a movie package deal, in the manner of CBS's famous "Movie of the Week" format. The move was meant to amortize its programming costs. It, too, failed.

The network is jointly owned by CBS and Warner Bros.