Switched off: is the end of non-streaming TV on the horizon? In the US, streaming viewers are starting to take over the number for cable while new data suggests the average broadcast viewer is older than expected Founded in 2006, the CW turns 16 years old this year, which feels right considering it has always branded itself as the younger, hipper brother to the bigger networks. The buzziest series on the CW are centered on teenagers: Riverdale, a modern, supernatural update on the Archie comics, and All American, about a Black high school football player recruited to play for a school in Beverly Hills. They also have two superhero shows, Superman Lois and The Flash, which also theoretically appeal to younger audiences. Youthful content, however, does not necessarily equal youthful viewers, which we learned this week when it was revealed that the average age of a CW viewer is 58 . In a twist worthy of Riverdale itself, which recently featured a time travel storyline, the hip, young viewers of the CW have suddenly turned middle-aged. Or maybe not.