WWE’s main roster premium live events moved to ESPN last September but the fate of NXT’s PLEs has been up in the air ever since then, including the brand’s biggest show of the year, Stand & Deliver, airing free on YouTube just this past month. Finally, just yesterday, it was announced that starting with Great American Bash, The CW would become the home of 20 NXT PLEs over the next several years.
Now, ESPN has sent out the press release revealing CW Sports will be coming to the ESPN App, including
NXT:
The CW Network and ESPN team up to stream more than 800 hours of live events from CW Sports on the ESPN App
CW Sports events will exclusively stream live within the ESPN App for all ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers
Groundbreaking agreement combines 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
Expands ESPN’s industry-leading streaming offering with even more year-round programming
The CW Network and ESPN are teaming up to make the ESPN App the exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports live events, combining premium sports offerings into a single viewer-friendly experience through this groundbreaking agreement. All CW Sports will broadcast live on The CW Network as well as stream live on the ESPN App for fans with an ESPN Unlimited subscription plan, including live coverage of college football and men’s and women’s basketball from the ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, AVP volleyball and the 2026 Arizona Bowl. Fans with an ESPN Unlimited plan subscription will have the opportunity to watch all CW Sports offerings live on any device with the ESPN App as a complement to The CW’s free over-the-air broadcast model nationwide, while advertisers will extend reach to new audiences across all digital platforms. CW Sports on the ESPN App is expected to launch in Summer 2026.
“Joining forces with ESPN is a monumental next step in the evolution of CW Sports,” said Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. “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.”
“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,” said Rosalyn Durant, Executive Vice President, ESPN Programming & Acquisitions. “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.”
Launched in 2023, CW Sports has rapidly become a broadcast destination for live sports across a diverse variety of leagues and was recently named a finalist for the Sports Business Awards 2026 Breakthrough of the Year. CW Sports is the exclusive home for all 33 races in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series through the 2031 racing season. During its first year on The CW in 2025, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series had its most-watched season in four years, growing its total audience by ten percent over the previous year. The first 13 races of 2025 each drew over one million total viewers for the first time in nearly a decade. Each of the first 10 races of the current 2026 season have delivered more than one million total viewers every week, and viewership is up 22 percent over last year’s season average.
The CW is a prominent broadcaster within the college sports landscape, including a partnership with the ACC to air college football and men’s and women’s basketball games. The network 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 offered through The CW include WWE NXT live every Tuesday night, PBA professional bowling championship games, AVP professional beach volleyball matches and PBR bull riding team series events.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App and ESPN.com with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able shortform vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package from certain providers. Subscription options available for fans include the Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle that provides a one-of-a-kind streaming package combining sports with blockbuster movies and hit series. Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle subscribers can access all ESPN and CW Sports content on Disney+. For more visit stream.espn.com.
Much like NXT PLE’s moving to The CW, exact terms of the deal have not been disclosed. WWE is in the midst of a five-year partnership with The CW, which began in 2024.
Hey, it’s always better to have more ways to watch, right?
