CW Sports has a date set for their launch on the ESPN App. The new streaming partnership officially launches Tuesday, August 4.
What We Know: The CW Network and ESPN confirmed the date in which the expansion of CW Sports’ reached beyond traditional broadcast. More than 800 annual hours of CW Sports will stream live on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. The launch begins with a two-hour WWE NXT event on August 4, followed by NASCAR, college football, and another WWE event later in the month. Additionally, The CW already sublicenses ESPN’s ACC football and basketball rights, extending a partnership that predates this new streaming deal.
What They Said: CW Sports President Brad Schwartz (via Barrett Media May 7, 2026): “It’s going to be a CW-branded destination within the ESPN app, just like they have an NFL destination within the ESPN app. We control all of our content. It’s not unlike if it was just a CW app. It gives us that streaming solution that we, fans, and frankly the leagues have been asking us for.”
CW Sports President Brad Schwartz (via Barrett Media May 7, 2026): “We sublicense an ACC package from them, and love working with them [ESPN]. When you have a partner and work together really closely on something, it leads to other conversations. It started with asking if we should stream ACC games. Then it was, should we stream everything? The conversation just grew. This is a first-of-its-kind deal for them, and the same for us. It’s very innovative for all and took some time to figure out.”
What Remains Unclear: Pricing details for accessing CW Sports through ESPN Unlimited were not specified. Similarly, the release doesn’t clarify whether all CW Sports programming will stream, or only select events.
What It Means: This deal significantly widens CW Sports’ digital footprint ahead of its biggest college football season yet. By pairing with ESPN’s massive App audience, The CW gains exposure well beyond its own distribution. Meanwhile, ESPN adds live NASCAR, added WWE, and college sports programming to its Unlimited tier, sweetening its value proposition. Ultimately, both companies benefit from combining fanbases across linear and streaming platforms.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.