The CW Network, LLC (“The CW” “The CW Network”) today announced the appointment of Erin McIlvain as Senior Vice President of Affiliate Distribution and Marketing, responsible for managing the network’s distribution and overseeing affiliate relations with its station group partners. Ms. McIlvain will begin her new duties immediately and report to Dana Zimmer, President and Chief Distribution and Strategy Officer for Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (“Nexstar”)(Nasdaq: NXST), and Dennis Miller, President of The CW Network.
Throughout her nearly 20-year career in the media business, Ms. McIlvain has held leadership positions in distribution, marketing and affiliate relations for some of the country’s largest cable, satellite and telco providers including DISH Network, Charter Communications, and Crown Media Holdings, Inc. (owner of the Hallmark channels). She joins The CW from GAM Media (“GAM” “Great American Media”), a general entertainment, family-friendly cable network, where she served Chief Officer, Distribution and Content Strategy. She was one of the founding officers of the company and was responsible for overseeing distribution, government relations, marketing and operations. In less than two years, she and her team grew GAM’s distribution from 31 million television households to more than 50 million, making it one of the fastest-growing cable networks in the United States. She also launched the company’s first direct-to-consumer offering and its first FAST channel.
“Erin is a strategic thinker with tremendous experience in the multi-channel distribution business and affiliate relations,” said Ms. Zimmer. “She has a keen understanding of the linear broadcast, cable, digital, and streaming world, and has a great reputation with our clients. We are excited to have someone of Erin’s caliber join our team and I look forward to working together to raise the bar on CW affiliate matters.”
Prior to her time with GAM, Ms. McIlvain was Executive Vice President for Distribution and Content Strategy for Crown Media Holdings, Inc., where she led the team responsible for distribution, including finance, operations, government relations and affiliate marketing for the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama. She spearheaded the launch of Hallmark Drama as a zero-subscriber channel and grew its distribution to more than 40 million television households.
“Erin is extremely familiar with our network partners, having worked with all of them throughout her career,” said Mr. Miller. “As we continue evolving The CW’s programming strategy—adding more live sports and broad-based entertainment offerings—she is the perfect choice to lead our distribution efforts.”
Commenting on her new role, Ms. McIlvain said, “The CW Network and Nexstar’s portfolio of media assets make for an unbeatable combination, and I’m excited to be joining a network that is incredibly innovative in its approach to programming and determined to forge collaborative relationships with its affiliate partners. There are a lot of opportunities to continue expanding The CW’s reach and I am eager to get started.”
Ms. McIlvain graduated from The University of Colorado at Boulder and earned her law degree from the University of Denver College of Law.
About The CW Network
The CW Network, LLC is one of America’s major broadcast networks and reaches 100% of US television households. The CW delivers 15 hours of primetime entertainment programming per week in addition to over 300 hours of sports per year as the broadcast home to LIV Golf, ACC football and basketball games, “Inside the NFL,” WWE NXT beginning in 2024 and NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning in 2025. The fully ad-supported CW App, with more than 96 million downloads to date, is available for free to consumers on all major platforms and is home to the latest episodes and seasons of The CW’s primetime programming, live streaming of LIV Golf tournaments and a library of entertaining film and television content for on-demand viewing. The CW is 75%-owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), a leading diversified media company and largest CW affiliate group with 42 CW and CW Plus affiliates, covering 39% of the population. For more information about The CW, please visit www.cwtv.com.
About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST) is a leading diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms, including more than 300,000 hours of programming annually. Nexstar owns America’s largest local broadcasting group comprised of top network affiliates, with 200 owned or partner stations in 116 U.S. markets reaching 212 million people. Nexstar’s national television properties include The CW, America’s fifth major broadcast network, NewsNation, America’s fastest-growing national cable news network, popular entertainment multicast networks Antenna TV and Rewind TV, and a 31.3% ownership stake in TV Food Network. The Company’s portfolio of digital assets, including its local TV station websites, The Hill and NewsNationNow.com, are collectively a Top 10 U.S. digital news and information property. For more information, please visit nexstar.tv.
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