Last month The CW pulled most of its archival content down off Hulu, stripping the streaming service of shows like The 100, Supernatural, and The Flash. This was part of deal that made Netflix the exclusive U.S. subscription streaming home for past seasons of CW shows. That doesn’t help fans who want to watch Arrow weekly, as it airs. Thankfully, there’s some good news. The CW’s own streaming service will now be the go-to destination for current content as it airs. Even better, the CW is expanding that service to new platforms such as Roku and Apple TV, all of which will be available without a password or cable/satellite subscription.
Full details have yet to be released, but according to FierceCable, the expansion will include “almost every major OTT platform.” The move is basically just a broadening of the CW’s existing strategy for current content — it had previously been available on cwtv.com and via a mobile and tablet app.
The CW broke the news via Twitter, hyping the new expansion with the message, “No login. No subscription. Just FREE.”
CW spokesperson Alana Russo told FierceCable, “As before, the app does not require authentication (meaning you do not need a cable subscription to access the content). … The CW has actually had free next day, ad-supported streaming of all our primetime shows for the last several years [through Hulu]. The difference is that starting this fall, in-season streaming will be exclusive to The CW’s digital platforms.” That’s definitely good news to any cord-cutters who have been itching to stay current with their favorite CW shows but haven’t been satisfied with Hulu or couldn’t afford yet another streaming subscription.
As for the Netflix partnership, it means seasons of CW shows will be available on Netflix beginning eight days after their season finale. So, if you’re okay with waiting until next spring to binge-watch The Flash, Netflix has your back. If you can’t bring yourself to wait that long, however, check out the CW streaming service on Chromecast, Airplay and Apple TV, Xbox, Amazon Fire TV, Android, and iOS, and other compatible devices and services.
