The exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports live events offered by The CW Network will now be the ESPN app, thanks to an agreement announced on April 29 by the unit of the Walt Disney Co. and the broadcast network controlled by majority owner Nexstar Media Group.
The ESPN App access comes through its “ESPN Unlimited” subscription plan, and includes live coverage of 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.
It is a complement to The CW’s free over-the-air broadcast model nationwide, and gives advertisers reach to new audiences across all digital platforms.
CW Sports on the ESPN App is expected to launch in Summer 2026.
“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.”
Rosalyn Durant, Executive VP of ESPN Programming & Acquisitions, added, “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.”
CW Sports was launched in 2023.
In related news, The CW Network and Roku announced that they’ve reached an agreement launching this fall that will bring The CW’s entertainment programming to The Roku Channel for next-day streaming.
This includes the forthcoming “Private Eyes West Coast” series, unscripted offering “Police 24/7,” and game shows based on Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. Additionally, new installments of “WWE NXT” will be made available to stream on The Roku Channel every Wednesday following its live Tuesday night broadcast on The CW.
