The CW has clinched a deal to make all of its sports coverage available through the ESPN App, and has expanded its alliance with WWE, landing the rights to the WWE NXT Premium Live Events.
CW Sports coverage will air live on The CW network and stream on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. The deal encompasses 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. CW Sports will be available on the ESPN App in the summer.
“Joining forces with ESPN is a monumental next step in the evolution of CW Sports,” said Brad Schwartz, president of 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.”
“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,” said Rosalyn Durant, EVP for programming and acquisitions at ESPN. “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.”
Meanwhile, the WWE deal covers exclusive U.S. rights to the NXT Premium Live Events (PLEs). The broadcast network will deliver 20 PLEs in their entirety live over the next several years. The CW is now home for all NXT programming.
“WWE NXT has energized our Tuesday nights by consistently delivering a loyal and passionate fanbase to The CW every week,” said Schwartz.
