The CW, which will televise Pac-12 football and basketball, making its live sports available on ESPN’s app

April 29, 2026 Updated Wed., April 29, 2026 at 10 p.m.

By Andrew Marchand The Athletic

ESPN and the CW have agreed to a deal that will put the broadcast network’s sports offerings on ESPN’s app through its Unlimited service.

The CW sports programming includes 800 hours of live action featuring ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West college football and basketball, as well as NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, PBR pro bull riding, PBA pro bowling and WWE NXT.

“We are just kind of trying to make ESPN and the ESPN app the front door for sports fans,” Nick Dawson, ESPN’s Senior VP of College Sports Programming and Acquisitions, said. “As we look for additional content opportunities, this one was unique.”

The four-year deal was negotiated over several months. The CW is one of just five broadcast networks, along with Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC. Disney owns ABC and ESPN.

The CW has built out its sports programming, going after mid-level properties that use the reach of its broadcast network.

In a world where sports fans are increasingly frustrated with all of the subscription services, the CW knew it did not want to add another.

“What we knew very, very quickly was that the world doesn’t need another direct-to-consumer product because there are too many of them,” CW president Brad Schwartz said.

ESPN’s chairman Jimmy Pitaro has stated on many occasions that with its $29.99 per month “Unlimited” direct-to-consumer service, it hopes to be where fans start their viewing, much the same way for decades as viewers have turned to the network on cable to see what is on. ESPN has completed deals with MLB.TV and WWE for its premium live events to add to the app. The CW increases ESPN’s content portfolio.

“I see it as two primary goals for us – increase engagement through the Unlimited plan,” Dawson said. “For folks who already have it, it is additional content that they can consume and engage with. There is at least the hope that there’s potential for some additional upside from a subscriber standpoint.”

For the CW, it solves a problem that has come up as it seeks more live rights.

“The benefit of this deal as we look at our strategy going forward is that in negotiations, there is no longer that point about, ‘What is your digital strategy?’ ” Mike Perman, Senior VP of Sports for the CW, said.

In the end, it offers the CW another way to reach fans.

“We see this as net incremental to our overall viewership engagement,” said Dan Lanzano, president of national advertising and sales for the Nexstar Media Group, which oversees the CW.

The CW is still a broadcast-first network, but it now has a greater chance to grow in a sports market that is increasingly dominated by the NFL, NBA and college football, leaving some potential live-rights opportunities in the future.

“I think there is an incredible opportunity for us to keep growing and keep adding more sports, because we do have this incredible broadcast platform,” Schwartz said. “There are only five of us.”

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