The CW has struck a pair of streaming deals, partnering with ESPN to stream its sports programming and with The Roku Channel to run its next-day entertainment offerings.
All sports broadcast on The CW, including college football and basketball games from the ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences, WWE NXT and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, will also be streamed live on the ESPN app for subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan. The network’s sports package is scheduled to launch on ESPN in the summer. Unlike the ESPN-Fox One streaming package, adding CW sports programming to the ESPN app will not come at an additional cost.
“This agreement expands the reach of CW Sports and enables us to engage audiences across the best broadcast and best streaming, ensuring fans can access CW Sports live wherever they are and on any device they prefer,” said Brad Schwartz, president of Nexstar-owned CW.
“Bringing CW Sports to the ESPN app is another step in offering fans more value, choice and flexibility, expanding the range of live sports available within our streaming ecosystem,” added Rosalyn Durant, executive vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN.
The Roku Channel deal, which takes effect in the fall, will bring The CW shows to the free streaming outlet the day after its network airs. The Roku Channel is the largest free streaming channel in the United States — based on Nielsen’s Gauge numbers, it accounts for about 3 percent of all TV usage each month.
“Partnering with Roku increases the reach and accessibility of The CW’s premium entertainment content,” Schwartz said. “By combining The Roku Channel’s vast audience with The CW’s nationwide linear footprint, we are bringing together the best of streaming and the best of streaming to unlock unprecedented scale for our content, our audiences and our advertisers.”
The Roku deal will also include nearly 800 hours of shows from The CW’s library.
