Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

CW Sports Moves to ESPN App, NASCAR Viewership Soars

4/29/2026

25 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

**CW Joins ESPN**

CW Network and ESPN will stream CW Sports on the ESPN App starting Summer 2026, while CW keeps over-the-air broadcasts as exclusive streaming venue.
ESPN Unlimited subscribers can watch ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West football/basketball, NASCAR, WWE NXT on any device.
CW Sports holds rights to all 33 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts races through 2031 and reports NASCAR viewership rose 10% in 2025 and 22% for ten 2026 races, exceeding one million viewers.

Summary

**CW Expands Reach**

CW will keep all ad sales on the ESPN app, using a linear pass-through ad experience this year before switching to dynamic insertion.
Nexstar now controls 81% of the CW and reports that 28% of primetime viewers also watch CW sports on weekends, up from 21% a year earlier.
A Roku partnership adds over 800 hours of CW library for next-day streaming while the CW app has reached 110 million downloads.

Summary

**CW Secures NXT**

The CW will be the exclusive U.S. home for WWE NXT, airing Tuesday shows and 20 live events beginning July 12 2026 with the Great American Bash.
WWE senior vice president Shawn Michaels said the deal gives fans one destination for superstars and storylines.
NXT’s Tuesday broadcasts average 612,000 viewers and a 0.09 rating in the 18-49 demographic this year.

History

Historical Context

Hulu debuted on October 29 2007 as a News Corp–NBCUniversal venture, later adding Disney in 2009. Its 2017 launch of “Hulu + Live TV” bundled broadcast and cable channels, reaching 12 million subscribers by 2016. The CW’s 2026 partnership with ESPN adopts that same bundled-streaming model, signaling continued shift toward integrated live-sports and network streaming.

1 of 4

**CW Joins ESPN**

CW Network and ESPN will stream CW Sports on the ESPN App starting Summer 2026, while CW keeps over-the-air broadcasts as exclusive streaming venue.
ESPN Unlimited subscribers can watch ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West football/basketball, NASCAR, WWE NXT on any device.
CW Sports holds rights to all 33 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts races through 2031 and reports NASCAR viewership rose 10% in 2025 and 22% for ten 2026 races, exceeding one million viewers.

1 / 4