International sports broadcaster ESPN and The CW Network have agreed a new partnership that will see all CW Sports content streamed live on the ESPN app in the US.
Under the deal, customers with an ESPN Unlimited subscription will gain access to all CW Sports content, including more than 800 hours of live action per year, while the CW Network will oversee sales of ad revenue tied to those games.
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CW has rights in the US to men’s and women’s basketball, US college football from the ACC, Pac 12, and Mountain West conferences, stock car racing’s Nascar O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, AVP volleyball, and its newest arrival, the WWE NXT wrestling series.
Before this deal, access to CW Network’s content was exclusively through the free ad-supported CW app and linear network.
Brad Schwartz, president of The CW Network, said: "This agreement extends the reach of CW Sports and enables us to capture audiences across the best of broadcast and the best of streaming, ensuring fans can access live CW Sports wherever they are and on whatever device they prefer.
"This new partnership will allow us to connect seamlessly with our audiences everywhere—from football and basketball to motorsports, professional wrestling, bowling, bull riding, and much more to come as CW Sports continues its exciting march forward."
The deal builds on a previous agreement struck by the pair, which saw CW Network sublicense ESPN’s ACC Conference inventory in 2023, giving the broadcaster access to 50 American football and basketball games each season.
For ESPN, the deal is the latest addition of content after securing the MLB.TV digital out-of-market package, while later this year, it will include Disney-owned NFL Network.
The broadcaster also holds digital in-market streaming rights to MLB teams whose games are produced and distributed by the league, as well as WWE premium live events. The ESPN app also holds the NHL ice hockey competition’s out-of-market package.
Rosalyn Durant, the executive vice president of ESPN Programming & Acquisitions, said: “Bringing CW Sports to the ESPN App is another step in delivering more value, choice, and flexibility for fans, expanding the range of live sports available within our streaming ecosystem.
“This agreement gives fans even more live sports to watch year-round within the ESPN Unlimited plan, while extending the reach of CW Sports to new audiences. As we continue to evolve ESPN’s direct-to-consumer experience, collaborations like this allow us to better serve fans by making more of the sports they love available in one place.”
The new agreement comes a day after The CW Network announced an expansion of its broadcast ties with global professional wrestling promotion WWE, to add its NXT programming brand.
The CW has broadcast NXT’s weekly Tuesday-night live show since October 2024, under a deal running through 2028, and through this new agreement also picks up the rights to the brand’s ‘premium live events’ (PLEs) going forward.
This agreement, which will run for the “next several years,” will cover 20 NXT-brand PLEs, alongside the 52 yearly NXT weekly episodes.
