The CW and HBO Max may partner up on a host of new shows.
Because The CW and HBO Max are owned by WarnerMedia, the latter has become the go-to streaming platform for new CW TV shows since it launched in May 2020. Deadline reports the companies are now in talks to "co-finance" original summer CW series that would debut on HBO Max before airing a day later on The CW.
This is the latest example of The CW recently joining forces with WarnerMedia's other companies -- including the cable networks TNT and TBS -- to promote its original programming. TNT will similarly air an encore presentation of the premiere episode of The CW's newest DC superhero series, Superman & Lois, four days after the show debuts on Feb. 27.
"The cable siblings have realized -- and vice versa -- that the CW as a platform has enabled them to do great things," said Mark Pedowitz, The CW's Chairman and CEO. He added, "That has been one of the blessings of [the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic], that we are all looking at the platforms together to see the value of each other, the value that we bring and the value they bring to us in terms of helping each other."
Pedowitz added that there has been "a really good dialog" between The CW and both WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS's cable entities about future collaborations. At the same time, he pointed out any cross-promotional ventures would be limited by The CW's agreements with its affiliates, describing them as "the backbone of our distribution system." This is the reason why Superman & Lois won't premiere on The CW and TNT simultaneously.
Recently, The CW and HBO Max considered having the Arrow spinoff Green Arrow and the Canaries air at the same time on The CW and HBO Max, in the wake of The CW's streaming deal with Netflix reaching its end. The Green Arrow and the Canaries show would have taken place 20 years in the future, with Mia Smoak, the daughter of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak, working with Laurel Lance's Black Siren and Dinah Drake's Black Canary to protect Star City. However, although the Arrow spinoff is no longer moving forward, there's still a chance HBO Max and The CW will team up on The 100 prequel show.
Source: Deadline