BURBANK, Calif.—Nexstar’s CW Network continues to bulk up on sports rights with the announcement that it has secured exclusive broadcast rights to 50 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) college football and basketball games each season through 2026-27.
The CW, which is 75% owned by Nexstar, acquired the rights to these live ACC football and basketball games from Raycom Sports, which is owned by Nexstar. Raycom sublicenses the rights from ESPN.
“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.”
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 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,” added Hunter Nickell, CEO of Raycom Sports, which is owned by Nexstar. “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.”
In announcing the deal, Nexstar noted that the ACC members have won more NCAA national championships in the last two years than the other conference. The league has won 16 national titles in the last two academic years, including a league-record nine in 2022-23.
The ACC has won seven national championships in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball since 2015. The ACC is the only conference to win each of those four titles over that stretch, Nexstar said.
The ACC 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. The ACC has placed the second-most teams in the CFP since its inception.
The ACC placed nine teams in football postseason games in 2021. That marked the 22nd consecutive season in which the ACC earned at least six bowl bids. Not including the pandemic-affected 2020 season, the ACC has sent at least nine teams to a bowl every year since 2016. Since 2013, the ACC is second among all conferences with 100 postseason appearances, the company reported.
