The CW’s ratings are down 28 percent this season! During sweeps, viewership dropped 22 percent! Even with Gossip Girl’s buzz, the young people network is at risk of folding, say TV experts who are paid to have an opinion about these sorts of things. If things don’t pick up by next season, one of the partners – Time Warner/Warner Bros. or CBS/UPN – is expected to pull out, collapsing the network. [WSJ] So why does a network that had promise – courting the young demographic that advertisers love – face such an uphill battle?

To be sure, The CW has everything working for them: the demographics that advertisers love; talked-about shows like Gossip Girl, which absorbs Daily Show-levels of free press; and upcoming shows like 90210 remake and Elle’s reality show Stylista that, if executed properly, will continue GG’s formula of becoming press darlings and MySpace favorites all the same.

But the network also has everything working against them: It’s young audience is also the most tech-savvy of any network, save the Disney channel. That means The CW’s target viewership is more likely to record a show on DVR and watch it later, which does nothing for the Nielsen numbers. That, or they’ll hop online to catch any episodes they missed, a fear The CW has admitted to by pulling episodes of Gossip Girl off the website, even after heavily promoting the show with its “OMFG” viral-ish campaign that sent curious types to the website in droves.