CW Network's Rush to Web Rankles Some TV Stations

As the CW prepares for its annual presentation to advertisers at next month's TV ad-sales bazaar, the network is increasingly relying on a wave of viewers who watch shows online. Nearly a fifth of CW viewers are watching on the Web, double from this time last year, the network says, while the average prime-time audience watching CW shows on regular television is down 14% to 1.8 million, according to Nielsen data. This shift is partly by the network's design. Conscious that its target audience of younger people is spending more time online than older viewers, the CW has moved more aggressively than many other networks to put all its shows on the Web, and has been pushing advertisers to buy its ads online and on TV in the same packages. The CW is walking a fine line, trying to get bigger online while not alienating the TV stations that pay tens of millions of dollars per year between them to broadcast the CW network. While the stations have exclusive agreements to carry the programming the night it airs, the CW recently starting putting the shows online the very next day -- instead of waiting three days as in the past. Some affiliates said they supported the moves, but others have chafed at them.