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The CW, ESPN reach sublicensing agreement for ACC football, basketball games through 2030-31

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp05/13/26

On a busy day of news for the ACC, details of a television contract agreement with the CW were revealed. The CW Network and ESPN announced a new sublicense broadcast agreement for The CW to televise ACC football and men’s and women’s college basketball games through the 2030-31 season.

The network will air 14 regular season football games, 30 men’s basketball games and 10 women’s basketball games each season. All games will be available to watch nationwide live on The CW’s linear broadcast network and via streaming on the ESPN app. Streaming on the ESPN app will require an ESPN Unlimited plan.

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“We’re grateful for the continued partnership and support of Disney and ESPN, whose longstanding commitment to the ACC remains integral to the success and visibility of our programs,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said. “Building on that strong foundation, our extension with The CW reflects the strong momentum in our shared commitment to delivering ACC football and basketball to more fans in new and innovative ways. The CW has been an outstanding partner, and we’re excited to expand our collaboration and further showcase the depth and quality of ACC competition.”

The CW first began broadcasting ACC games during the 2023-24 season. According to a press release issued by ESPN, four of the top five highest-viewed college football games on The CW have been ACC games.

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The 2023 game between Florida State and North Alabama, which saw the unfortunate injury of Heisman Trophy contending quarterback Jordan Travis, was the network’s most watched college football game to date. Viewership growth has been strong.

According to the press release, The CW broadcasts of ACC football games last year saw a 26% year-over-year increase in total viewers. Viewership for women’s basketball this season was also up 26%, while it was up 6% for men’s basketball.

“The ACC has been a transformative partner at the forefront of The CW’s expansion into live sports,” said Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. “The conference was an early believer in our vision to become a broadcast destination for sports. We are thrilled to continue our relationship for another four seasons and provide the widest reach possible for all their games. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the schools and student-athletes, whose stories have resonated deeply with our viewers and helped make ACC matchups some of the most-watched live events on the network.”