CW Drops the ‘The’ From Its Logo in New Rebrand

The CW — rather, CW — has unveiled a brand-new logo amid its acquisition by Nexstar, The Messenger can confirm.

While the change has already been implemented on the network's social channels as of Friday, the new CW logo will make its official TV debut on Sunday.

"The CW is in the middle of a brand transformation, and a new network deserves a new look and feel," chief marketing officer Chris Spadaccini told Variety. "When I got here, not only did I arrive to find a logo that was slightly dated, there was really zero consistency in terms of how we presented our brand. Everything just looked very different." 

He continued, "Even though I love the programming and even the marketing creative was great, there was really not a very well defined brand behind it."

"We came to the conclusion that the logo needed a makeover, and the ‘The’ is not readable," said Spadaccini. "Where it’s placed currently in the logo does not reduce down well to digital formats. It’s not readable in streaming, it’s not readable in social media. It’s not readable on anything on a mobile screen, which is where we’re largely engaging with our customers. So that creates problems."

Though the network is dropping "the" from their logo, they will still largely be referred to as The CW, since that is what sets them apart from other networks, Spadaccini explained. However, the dropping of "the" for its new franchises is crucial for the rebrand.

"We’re not 'The CW Sports.' We’re 'CW Sports.' We’re not presenting 'The CW Original,' we’re presenting a 'CW Original.' But we are still very much 'The CW.' That’s how people refer to us," he clarified. "That’s how the press refers to us. Even if I tried to drop 'the,' it would be impossible because in the culture, we’re always 'The CW.' It’s not 'The NBC' or 'The ABC,' so it kind of differentiates us."

See CW's new logo reveal in their 2024 sizzle reel, below: