ESPN To Offer CW Network Sports
Disney has announced a new deal between its sports division, ESPN and the CW Network, to make the ESPN App the exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports live events, combining premium sports offerings into a single viewer-friendly experience through this groundbreaking agreement.
As part of the deal, all CW Sports will broadcast live on The CW Network as well as stream live on the ESPN App for fans with an ESPN Unlimited subscription plan, including live coverage of college football and men’s and women’s basketball from the ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, AVP volleyball and the 2026 Arizona Bowl. Fans with an ESPN Unlimited plan subscription will have the opportunity to watch all CW Sports offerings live on any device with the ESPN App as a complement to The CW’s free over-the-air broadcast model nationwide, while advertisers will extend reach to new audiences across all digital platforms. CW Sports on the ESPN App is expected to launch in Summer 2026.
Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network, said in a statement regarding the new deal:
“Joining forces with ESPN is a monumental next step in the evolution of CW Sports. 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.”
Rosalyn Durant, Executive Vice President, ESPN Programming & Acquisitions, added:
“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.”
Launched in 2023, CW Sports has rapidly become a broadcast destination for live sports across a diverse variety of leagues and was recently named a finalist for the Sports Business Awards 2026 Breakthrough of the Year. CW Sports is the exclusive home for all 33 races in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series through the 2031 racing season. During its first year on The CW in 2025, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series had its most-watched season in four years, growing its total audience by ten percent over the previous year. The first 13 races of 2025 each drew over one million total viewers for the first time in nearly a decade. Each of the first 10 races of the current 2026 season has delivered more than one million total viewers every week, and viewership is up 22 per cent over last year’s season average.
The CW is a prominent broadcaster within the college sports landscape, including a partnership with the ACC to air college football and men’s and women’s basketball games. The network recently extended its partnership with the new Pac-12 Conference to include 13 regular-season football games per year through the 2030-31 season, as well as adding regular-season men’s and women’s basketball games, including the women’s basketball tournament’s semifinal and championship games. In Fall 2026, CW Sports will also begin its pact with the Mountain West conference to air 13 football games, 20 men’s basketball games and 15 women’s basketball games per year through the 2030-31 season. This fall, The CW will also broadcast the 2026 Arizona Bowl for the fourth year in a row.
Other sports offered through The CW include WWE NXT live every Tuesday night, PBA professional bowling championship games, AVP professional beach volleyball matches and PBR bull riding team series events.
Subscription options available for fans include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle, which provides a one-of-a-kind streaming package combining sports with blockbuster movies and hit series. Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle subscribers can access all ESPN and CW Sports content on Disney+.
Roger’s Take: The addition of CW Network content on ESPN continues to expand the offerings available to subscribers, especially considering the cost of the ESPN Unlimited plan. It will also help bulk out the WWE coverage on ESPN alongside the major Premium Live Events.
Will you be checking out the CW sports content on ESPN and ESPN On Disney+? Let me know on social media!
