The CW teams with ESPN to stream its sports events
The CW teams with ESPN to stream its sports events
The deal will see live sports like college football and basketball, WWE NXT events, and more stream on the ESPN Unlimited subscription service.
Negotiators at The CW have had a busy week. The channel is making deals left and right and has now announced a new pact with ESPN to stream its live sports on the ESPN Unlimited service. This will give subscribers access to a wide range of new sports events, including college football and basketball, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) coverage, and more.
Key Details:
- It’s a deal!: The CW has an agreement to stream its live sports events on ESPN Unlimited.
- Highest tier only: The deal will not allow ESPN Select customers to stream games.
- Still linear: The sports will still air on The CW linear channel.
The deal between The CW and ESPN will see ESPN Unlimited become the streaming home for all CW Sports live events. It embraces ACC, Pac-12, and Mountain West football, as well as men’s and women’s college basketball games.
More sports, including the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT events, PBA bowling, PBR events, AVP Volleyball, and the 2026 Arizona Bowl, will also be sent to the ESPN app as part of the deal. Sports from The CW will not be available to stream for ESPN Select customers; only ESPN Unlimited customers will get access.
“Joining forces with ESPN is a monumental next step in the evolution of CW Sports,” The CW president, Brad Schwartz, said. “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.”
These sports will still air live on The CW’s linear broadcast channel, but ESPN will own the exclusive streaming rights. It’s another in a series of deals involving The CW this week; the channel also announced an agreement with The Roku Channel to stream its primetime entertainment programming on that platform the day after it airs live.
The CW has become a magnet for live sports in recent years. In August, it extended its deal with the Pac-12, adding a new inventory of games through 2031. The channel has been a partner to WWE’s NXT since 2024.
“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,” ESPN executive Rosalyn Durant said. “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.”
ESPN Unlimited
ESPN launched its highly anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service on August 21, 2025. For the first time, this service gives sports fans access to its full lineup of linear channels without a traditional cable or satellite subscription.