Two sports broadcasters are teaming up to put multiples series on even more platforms. CW Sports and ESPN have inked a significant deal involving 800 hours of live events.
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According to a press release on Wednesday, the ESPN app will now be the exclusive home of all of the CW Sports live broadcasts. Fans with an ESPN Unlimited subscription will be able to watch the events that would normally air exclusively on the CW Network.
This does not replace CW's model of free over-the-air broadcasts. It will just be another option for the sports fans wanting to catch events.
The deal includes college football and basketball from the ACC, Pac-12, and Mountain West Conferences. It also includes all of the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races and matches from WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, and AVP Volleyball.
ESPN Unlimited is $29.99 per month or $35.99 per month when bundled with Disney+ and Hulu. Some TV providers include access at no extra cost.
"Joining forces with ESPN is a monumental next step in the evolution of CW Sports," said Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. "The CW now offers more than 800 hours of premium live sports per year.
"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."
CW Sports launched in 2023 and quickly became the home of multiple brands. The secondary NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series has particularly benefited since moving all 33 of its races to the CW Network in 2025.
No longer do fans have to switch between Fox, FS1, NBC, and USA Network. They can just watch every race over the air for free on the CW.
The first full season of the CW-NASCAR partnership delivered 13 consecutive races with over one million viewers and an overall 10% increase compared to 2024, the final season split between Fox Sports and NBC Sports.
The first 11 races of the 2026 season have all delivered more than one million viewers. Last weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway, which Corey Day won, peaked at 1,830,000 total viewers.
