The CW's Walker will stream exclusively on HBO Max after Season 1 of the new Jared Padalecki-led series wraps later this year.
Warner Bros. inked a new deal with HBO Max in regard to its programming on The CW, according to a new report from Deadline. The deal came about after Warner Bros. TV and CBS Studios' $1 billion output deal with Netflix for CW content ended in 2019.
"At the moment, through studio arrangements, they will be taking the out-of-season runs for the new series," The CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz said of HBO Max.
In addition to Walker, The Republic of Sarah will also head to HBO Max after its debut season comes to a close. When the previous streaming deal with Netflix ended, WBTV's Batwoman and Katy Keene also went to sibling HBO Max. While CBS Studios initially announced a deal to stream Season 1 of The CW's Nancy Drew on CBS All Access, the series moved to HBO Max in May 2020 as part of the streamer’s launch slate.
Another change that's been made post-Netflix deal is the fact that The CW can now share each new episode of a season online following its premiere on the network, instead of providing only the five most recent episodes. This means that, by the end of the current season, The CW will have full seasons of seven original series stacked up on the CW’s digital platforms for audiences to catch up on before they head to a new platform.
Pedowitz added that this accessibility "has proven very valuable" -- especially in regards to the digital success of both Nancy Drew and Batwoman. "It has given us an opportunity to promote and market our shows, and at the end of the day, we would end up helping HBO Max because we would be marketing a show for a full year before it gets onto them," he continued. "And we don’t have to worry about the back and forth. With Netflix, we had to remind people what’s really a CW show such as All American or In the Dark."
Pedowitz also explained that HBO Max has a co-ownership connection to The CW, which makes for a closer partnership relationship and could ultimately lead to the co-financing of new original series. "If they are open to that, we actually would do it," Pedowitz revealed. "For us, it's a great model because it's a way to get excellent summer scripted programming and maximize programming across platforms."
Walker stars Jared Padalecki, Lindsey Morgan, Keegan Allen, Mitch Pileggi, Molly Hagan and Coby Bell. The series premieres Jan. 21 on The CW.
Source: Deadline