CW

Available later this year, programming on Hulu and Hulu Plus will begin with the nine series on  CW’s fall 2011 schedule: new series Ringer, Hart of Dixie and The Secret Circle, as well as returning hits The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, Nikita, 90210 and America’s Next Top Model.

Netflix has acquired streaming rights to previous seasons of TV shows from the CW Network owned by CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros.

In one fell swoop, The CW has given full-season orders to all of its three freshmen series. Following the pickup of Ringer earlier Wednesday, the network also has given back-nine orders to fellow rookies Hart Of Dixie and The Secret Circle.

In what some might call the ultimate sign of being a hater, the CW has axed the Mario Lopez-hosted series H8R. The reality series featured celebrities as they confronted their biggest critics to try to change their opinions of them. The series premiered to a tepid 1.3 million viewers and failed to boost that by much in the three weeks since its premiere.

The new drama The Secret Circle looks like a very compatible companion for The Vampire Diaries. Circle matched the CW’s best-ever women 18-34 rating in the 9 p.m. timeslot with last night’s premiere, holding 86% of lead-in Diaries‘ rating and bettering the premiere of last year’s timeslot occupant, Nikita, by 6%. Circle averaged a 1.9 women 18-34 rating, and drew a 2.0 among female teens 12-17, the network’s best rating in the slot since 2007.

CW’s head of business affairs Rich Vokulich is leaving the broadcast network after four years. Vokulich is expected to leave this week and it’s unclear whether he will be replaced.

With their sharp fashion sense and busy social life in Manhattan, the young ladies from The CW’s Gossip Girl often evoke Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw. Now a teen version of Carrie may be joining the CW’s lineup.

In his TCA debut today, new CW President Mark Pedowitz gave a glimpse at his strategy for the broadcast network. To sum it up, more original programming to bridge the ghastly midseason (and summer) hole on the network’s schedule when it goes into a dormant state with low-rated repeats of its serialized dramas.

The CW is looking to beat the midseason rerun blues by extending the already-full season orders of Gossip Girl, 90210, Supernatural and Nikita.

The CW today was the first broadcast network to announce its fall premiere dates. The network will launch three nights — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — the week before the Sept. 19 official start of the fall season, Friday during premiere week and Monday’s lineup the week after.

Block Communications will not be picking up The CW for KTRV Boise, Idaho, after losing Fox to former CW affiliate KNIN.. Instead, the new CW affiliate is Fisher Communications’ KBOI (CBS), which will put The CW on a subchannel and a low-power station.

Following CW drama topper Thom Sherman’s recent promotion to EVP development, his lieutenants Gaye Hirsch and Joanna Klein have been named co-heads of the network’s drama development department.

The CW has completed its upfront sales process, notching between $400 million and $420 million in ad commitments from marketers for its coming TV season, according to a person familiar with the situation. That’s a CPM increase of 10%-12%.

The CW is poised to complete its upfront selling by the of day Friday, garnering an average price increase for primetime ad inventory of 11 percent over last year, persons familiar with the negotiations say. At the same time, CBS has began doing primetime sales deals with increases in the 14% range. And ABC was said to be doing some early primetime deals averaging 11% and has completed business with one major media agency, who sources would not identify.

ABC and CW have been active in making some media agency upfront deals — following Fox’s move, now nearly completing its TV upfront market sales process. ABC, running on the heels of broadcast leader Fox, has been making media agreements with CPM increases in the 9% to 10% range, according to media agency executives.

At its upfront presentation today, the CW network announced a unique partnership with the shopping app Shopkick. The app serves up shopping deals and special rewards for users who visit top retailers like Target and Home Depot. But the exclusive deal with the CW adds a twist — CW advertisers will be able to reward users for watching their commercials.

The CW’s fall schedule includes the new shows H8R, Hart of Dixie, The Secret Circle and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Ringer, and a move to Tuesdays for 90210 and Fridays for Nikita. One Tree Hill will return in mid-season, and the new shows Re-Modeled and The Frame will debut.

Ringer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, was originally developed by CBS which then passed it on to its sister network. The Secret Circle comes from The Vampire Diaries executive producer Kevin Williamson and Andrew Miller. Hart of Dixie re-teams The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz with star Rachel Bilson.

As part of its continued restructuring of its executive ranks, the CW has named Thom Sherman executive vice president of development. He will oversee the creative efforts of the network and report to Mark Pedowitz, CW’s new president.

The CW’s marketing chief Rick Haskins, whose full title is EVP digital, new technologies, marketing and brand strategy, will be leaving the network. Haskins’ contract is up in May but he has agreed to stay on until August and shepherd the network’s fall launch campaign.

The CW has announced early pickups for five of its series. The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Supernatural and 90210 will return for the 2011-12 season. America’s Next Top Model has been picked up for two more cycles, including its first all-star edition featuring models from previous cycles.

How much will ABC dance away with this spring? Can CBS ride the Hawaii 5-0 wave? Can the new bosses turn around NBC? Here’s a handy guide to what the big names in TV have going for them, and what baggage they carry.

The CW and Ford are collaborating on a campaign starring CW actors across three ads every hour in most of the network’s primetime lineup.

JoAnn Alfano and Andrea Wong are among those in contention to replace Dawn Ostroff.

Former NBC Universal top exec Jeff Gaspin and ex-Lifetime CEO Andrea Wong are two of the 10 candidates being considered to run The CW.

The CW is hoping to find a successor to outgoing entertainment president Dawn Ostroff, and is interviewing a string of candidates for the job. Ostroff, one of the longest-serving broadcast entertainment chiefs in the business, is set to leave at the end of June. She joined in January 2006, when CBS-owned UPN merged with Time Warner’s The WB to create The CW.