The CW Network To Air Games Every Saturday Throughout the Season
Kicks Off September 9 with Pitt Football Playing Host to Non-Conference Foe Cincinnati
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The CW Network announced it has secured exclusive broadcast rights to 50 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) college football and basketball games each season through 2026-27. The first ACC football game will air on The CW on Saturday, September 9 with a matchup between the Pitt Panthers and non-conference opponent Cincinnati Bearcats, with games airing every Saturday throughout the season in the afternoon and in primetime. In addition to 13 football games, The CW will broadcast 28 men’s basketball games and nine women’s basketball games. These games will be featured in December, January and February with men’s basketball doubleheaders taking place every Saturday afternoon and women’s basketball games on Sunday afternoons. Raycom Sports will produce all games for The CW.
“We are committed to making The CW a destination for live, appointment-viewing sporting events,” said Dennis Miller, President, The CW Network. “The ACC is home to some of the most decorated college football and basketball teams in the country and we look forward to welcoming these avid sports fans to the network as we continue to broaden our audience.”
“We are thrilled to be adding The CW to our weekly television lineup for ACC football and basketball games,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “The CW’s national distribution will directly benefit our student-athletes, teams, alumni and fans. We appreciate ESPN and Raycom working together and look forward to the partnership with The CW.”
“The CW is going to be a terrific partner for the legendary ACC,” said Hunter Nickell, CEO of Raycom Sports. “The longest-running television relationship in college sports belongs to the ACC and Raycom Sports. Now The CW brings national broadcast network coverage to the great fans of these 15 famous schools.”
The ACC and its 15 member institutions have enjoyed incredible success including:
The CW acquired the rights to these live ACC football and basketball games from Raycom Sports who sublicenses the rights from ESPN.
About The CW NetworkThe CW Network, LLC is one of America’s major broadcast networks and reaches 100% of US television households. The CW delivers 14 hours of primetime programming per week in addition to sports and other entertainment programming and is the exclusive broadcast home to LIV Golf. The fully ad-supported CW App, with more than 96 million downloads to date, is available for free to consumers on all major platforms and is home to the latest episodes and seasons of The CW’s primetime programming, live streaming of its sports content, and a library of entertaining film and television content for on-demand viewing. The CW is 75%-owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), a leading diversified media company and largest CW affiliate group with 37 CW and CW Plus affiliates, covering 32% of the population. For more information about The CW, please visit www.cwtv.com.
About the ACC The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 71st year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 28 NCAA sports – 15 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states. In August 2019, ESPN and the ACC partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports and league-wide original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @accsports on Instagram and @theACC on Twitter and on Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).
About Raycom SportsRaycom Sports, based in Charlotte, N.C., is a national leader in video content production, distribution, sales and marketing and event management with over 40 years of experience and a reputation as a trusted partner. Founded in 1979, the company has produced thousands of live events from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and other top collegiate athletic conferences. In addition, Raycom Sports has produced pre-season games and specials for multiple NFL teams, highlighted by the company’s relationship with the Carolina Panthers. Raycom Sports is a founding partner of Family Entertainment Live, the family entertainment company that owns Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live tour, the Magic of Lights holiday lights attractions and the soon-to-launch Monster High Live tour. The Raycom Sports digital media team builds and manages the ACC official digital platforms and has launched two 24/7 FAST channel brands; the ACC Digital Network and Origin Sports.
Raycom Sports is owned by Gray Media Group, which is the largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets in the United States. Gray serves 113 television markets that collectively reach 36 percent of US television households.
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Media:
Beth Feldman, 646/563-8334 Beth.Feldman@cwtv.com
Rob Moynihan, 760/519-5543 Rob.Moynihan@cwtvconsultant.com
Source: The CW Network