Atlantic Coast Conference College Football and Basketball Games are heading to The CW. The network announced today it has secured exclusive broadcast rights to 50 games each season through 2026-27. The CW acquired the rights from Raycom Sports who sublicenses the rights from ESPN.
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 league has won 16 national titles in the last two academic years, including a league-record nine in 2022-23. The conference also has had a team in either the College Football Playoff or the BCS National Championship Game in eight of the last 10 years, including two teams in 2020.
ACC men’s basketball teams have combined to win three of the last eight NCAA National Championships and eight of the last 22 NCAA Titles, and both are the most of any league.
The league’s women’s basketball programs have made 23 trips to the Final Four, which includes nine different institutions and has had five Final Four appearances in the last five years, according to the ACC.
