Today Nexstar Meia Group and Londen Media Group announced a deal that will see KAZT-TV channel 7 add The CW Network programming. This partnership will see KAZT-TV air CW programming including LIV Golf, ACC college sports, WWE NXT beginning this fall, and NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing starting in 2025.
“We’re pleased to enter into this agreement with KAZT-TV, especially since Arizona will once again be a battleground state in this year’s Presidential election,” said Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. “We’re looking forward to helping KAZT-TV expand its service to Phoenix-area viewers and forge an even deeper connection to the community. We know that adding the live sports and entertainment programming of The CW Network will enable KAZT-TV to establish new and meaningful relationships with a variety of advertising and marketing clients.”
The change will happen on February 1, 2024, and will be the new home of The CW Network in the nation’s 11th largest television market. KAZT-TV has been an independent channel and has been broadcasting since 1982 but didn’t start broadcasting from Phoenix until 1985.
This comes as earlier this month Nexstar the owner of The CW moved several affiliates to new TV channels in three markets. These markets are Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Panama City, Florida. With this move, Nexstar is moving The CW stations to be aired on the CW owned TV stations instead of ones owned by other networks.
Because of this move you may need to rescan your antenna and your The CW channel maybe on a different channel number.
“The addition of CW programming to these Nexstar-owned stations will bring the number of Nexstar and partner-owned CW affiliates to 45, covering more than 39% of U.S. TV Households,” said Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. “As The CW’s #1 affiliate group, we are very pleased to be taking this step, especially as several new entertainment shows get set to premier and ACC college basketball moves deeper into its season—WWE NXT in Fall 2024 also will be a big hit. As a result, our CW-affiliated stations will be able to offer advertisers even more opportunities to reach viewers.”
Nexstar recently purchased a majority ownership of The CW and has as a result, been moving the network to new OTA TV stations that you can get free with an antenna in a growing number of markets.