Live CW Sports Programming is Coming to the ESPN App, Including WWE NXT

The ESPN App is adding more programming for ESPN Unlimited subscribers via a new deal with The CW Network to bring CW Sports events to the platform.

What's Happening:

• The CW and ESPN have announced a new deal that will bring CW Sports events to the ESPN App.
• This additional programming will be available to ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers, beginning this summer.
• It includes programming from college football and basketball from the ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West Conferences, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, and AVP Volleyball, all told making up more than 800 hours of live events through the year.
• CW Sports programming will continue to be broadcast like on The CW, as well as now being available on the ESPN App.
• CW Sports launched in 2023, as the network once known for many a DC Comics-based superhero show and other young skewing-programming made some big shifts under new ownership.
• CW Sports is the exclusive home for all 33 races in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series through the 2031 racing season. They also have a partnership with the ACC to air college football and men’s and women’s basketball games and 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 on The CW include PBA professional bowling championship games, AVP professional beach volleyball matches and PBR bull riding team series events.
• And then there's WWE NXT, which airs live every Tuesday night. Just this week, The CW signed a new deal with WWE that will also bring NXT PLE (Premium Live Events, once known as pay-per-views) to The CW, after they were previously available on Peacock. NXT being part of this CW Sports deal with ESPN now adds more WWE programming to ESPN Unlimited, which is already the current home of the WWE-branded monthly PLEs.
• For those who don't follow wrestling, NXT is WWE's developmental brand, usually focused on younger wrestlers who hone their skills before being brought up to the main WWE shows, RAW or Smackdown, and their accompanying PLEs .

What They're Saying:

• Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network: “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: “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.”