The Vampire Diaries was on television.
The CW Television Network ( commonly referred to as just The CW ) is an American English language broadcast television network that is operated by The CW Network , LLC , a limited liability joint venture between CBS Corporation , the former owners of the United Paramount Network ( UPN ) , and the Warner Bros. . The Vampire Diaries . The series premiered on The CW on September 10 , 2009 and concluded on March 10 , 2017 , airing 171 episodes over eight seasons . The pilot episode attracted the largest audience for The CW of any series premiere since the network began in 2006 .