Dennis Miller Re-Upped As CW President Through 2027

Dennis Miller, who took the helm of The CW after Nexstar Media Group bought majority control of it last fall, has been re-upped as president of the broadcast network through 2027.

With a background in media and venture capital, Miller has steered The CW through a period of transformation and financial overhaul. Nexstar has pledged to make the network profitable by 2025, in large part by ditching the pricey scripted dramas favored by previous joint venture partners Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery (each of which still has 12.5% of the network). The CW has also boosted its unscripted programming and has gotten into live sports with deals to broadcast ACC football and basketball as well as LIV Golf. By 2025, plans call for the network to carry more than 400 hours of sports programming over 48 weekends each year.

The CW acquisition involved no up-front payments, with Nexstar instead agreeing to absorb the network’s considerable debt load. Nextstar operates the largest portfolio of local TV stations in the U.S. as well as cable network NewsNation and digital outlets like The Hill.

A key lieutenant for Miller is Brad Schwartz, the former head of PopTV who is known for bringing Schitt’s Creek to the U.S. airwaves.

“Dennis has done an outstanding job since taking leadership of The CW,” Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said. “He and Brad Schwartz have completely remade the network and its brand, bringing a fresh, innovative approach to programming that is designed to grow viewership and deliver significant value for our advertisers, affiliates, and distribution partners. When Nexstar acquired The CW, we said we intended to run it for a broadcast audience, and Dennis is doing just that—he has changed the way viewers think about The CW and this contract extension is well-deserved.”

Miller described himself as “extremely grateful” for the opportunity, saying his role is “finding entrepreneurial executives who are interested in building for tomorrow, taking advantage of marketplace disruption to find new models for entertainment and sports programming, and working toward becoming a competitive Big 5 network.”

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