Sublicense Deal with ESPN Brings More ACC Football and Men's and Women's College Basketball Games to The CW

On the heels of a recent big new deal between The CW and ESPN, the two companies are expanding their relationship further, with The CW now set to sublicense both ACC football and men's and women's college basketball games from ESPN.

What's Happening:

• The CW Network and ESPN have announced a new deal for the CW to sublicense and televise ACC football and men's and women's college basketball games.
• The deal runs through the 2030-2031 season.
• The CW will air 14 regular season football games, 30 men's basketball games, and 10 women's games each season.
• All of these games will both air nationwide live on The CW and also stream live on the ESPN App for those with the ESPN Unlimited plan.
• This deal between ESPN and The CW arrives in the wake of their recent deal for CW Sports programming to now stream live on the ESPN App.
• The essentially serves as a reciprocation of that, with ESPN providing additional content for The CW to air.
• ACC games have already been part of The CW sports slate, with the network first airing ACC games during the 2023-24 season as the network’s entry into live college sports.

What They're Saying:

• Brad Schwartz (President, The CW Network): “The ACC has been a transformative partner at the forefront of The CW’s expansion into live sports. The conference was an early believer in our vision to become a broadcast destination for sports. We are thrilled to continue our relationship for another four seasons and provide the widest reach possible for all their games. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the schools and student-athletes, whose stories have resonated deeply with our viewers and helped make ACC matchups some of the most-watched live events on the network.”
• Jim Phillips, Ph.D (ACC Commissioner): “We’re grateful for the continued partnership and support of Disney and ESPN, whose longstanding commitment to the ACC remains integral to the success and visibility of our programs. Building on that strong foundation, our extension with The CW reflects the strong momentum in our shared commitment to delivering ACC football and basketball to more fans in new and innovative ways. The CW has been an outstanding partner, and we’re excited to expand our collaboration and further showcase the depth and quality of ACC competition.”
• Nick Dawson (ESPN senior vice president, programming & acquisitions): “Extending The CW as a broadcaster of ACC sports via this sublicense agreement is a win for ACC fans across the country. The combination of these games being widely available via CW linear network stations while simultaneously streaming within the ESPN App via the ESPN Unlimited plan provide ACC schools terrific exposure and ACC fans maximum flexibility and accessibility however and wherever they choose to watch their favorite ACC teams.”