The CW is getting in while the getting is good when it comes to sports. The window busted open when regional sports networks (RSNs) began to lose favor with cable and satellite television providers, meaning that many of the niche channels that covered college sports or specific pro sports teams would no longer be available on many platforms.
At the moment, the CW is a hub for ACC sports and Big 12 Sports, NASCAR, Professional Bowling (Starting in 2026) and is also getting in on sports entertainment with WWE NXT, a quickly growing brand of the professional wrestling giant.
Even with the sports component, the network is not branded purely as a sports network. Its nightly news program “The National Desk” which pulls national and local stories leveraged from stations owned by Sinclair Broadcasting. This is a natural move considering that Sinclair Broadcasting owns the CW. It also sports (see what I did there) TV series, but a very pared-down lineup from its past incarnations when it was home of the Arrowverse and other teen-leaning fare.
By acquiring major sports rights and offering them over-the-air, as well as enhancing streaming options, The CW is positioning itself for growth in a competitive, rapidly evolving media landscape.
The question is, will it continue to expand its offerings? It should be understood that the types of contests you will find on CW are not the prime Saturday Night matchups that you would find on ESPN or even other broadcast networks like NBC. CW will not be hosting a matchup between Florida State and Clemson any time soon. But say a game featuring Clemson vs Furman, yes. It gives fans a place to find matchups of local significance.
Just having sports content does not drive viewers. Think of all the things considered sports in the Olympics. A new national curling league will not fire up viewers to build their calendars around the channel. But it’s off to a good start with the Pac 12 and ACC, and could be a landing spot for other college sports conferences not named the SEC or the 18-team Big 10.
When other conferences look for a home for their weekly slate of games, the CW will be there as a landing place that looks a lot better than being built into something like Apple TV.
