CW Network and ESPN launch CW Sports streaming on ESPN App Aug 4
The CW Network and ESPN have signed a streaming agreement that will bring CW Sports programming to the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers, launching on Tuesday 4 August 2026.
The deal provides more than 800 hours of live CW Sports each year, featuring weekly WWE NXT broadcasts, the WWE NXT Heatwave premium event on 30 August, NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races at Iowa Speedway on 8 August and at Daytona International Speedway on 28 August, and the network’s largest college‑football season opening with New Mexico State versus Florida State on 29 August.
CW Sports will also serve as the exclusive home for all 33 races of the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series through the 2031 season, and the first 19 races of the 2026 season have already drawn over one million weekly viewers, up 11 % from the prior year.
Entities: CW Network · CW Sports · ESPN · ESPN Inc. · NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series · New Mexico State University · The CW Network · WWE NXT
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] WWE NXT “Heatwave” Premium Live Event will air on August 30 from Texas at 3:00 p.m. ET. (press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] CW Network and ESPN have an agreement to stream CW Sports live events on the ESPN App. (press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The CW's biggest college‑football season, featuring ACC, Pac‑12 and Mountain West games, begins on August 29 with New Mexico State vs Florida State. (press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] A two‑hour live WWE NXT event will air on August 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET as the launch program. (press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The streaming service will launch on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. (press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] More than 800 annual hours of CW Sports will be broadcast live on the CW Network and streamed on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. (press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races will be streamed on August 8 at Iowa Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET) and August 28 at Daytona International Speedway (7:00 p.m. ET). (press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] ESPN Unlimited can be activated via TV or mobile providers or as a standalone subscription. (press release)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] CW Sports is the exclusive home for all 33 races in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series through the 2031 season. (Article 8409ff6f)
- [● 4 SOURCES] WWE NXT Heatwave premium live event will air on 30 August from Texas. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] More than 800 hours of CW Sports events will be broadcast live on the CW Network and streamed on the ESPN App annually. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The streaming launch date is Tuesday 4 August 2026. (All articles)