The CW Network

What The CW Network does

The CW Network is a U.S. broadcast television network launched in 2006 and currently majority-owned by Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ: NXST), which acquired control in 2021 from original founders CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment. The network operates as a free over-the-air broadcaster reaching approximately 80% of U.S. households through owned-and-operated and affiliate stations, augmented by digital streaming via its cwtv.com platform, the CW mobile app, and new distribution partnerships with ESPN App (exclusive streaming home for CW Sports, launching Summer 2026) and The Roku Channel (next-day entertainment hub launching Fall 2026).

The CW has executed a strategic pivot under President Brad Schwartz toward live sports, scaling from zero to over 800 hours of live sports programming annually across NASCAR's O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT (exclusive home for 20 Premium Live Events plus 52 weekly shows annually), ACC/Pac-12/Mountain West college football and basketball, PBR Bull Riding, PBA Bowling, AVP Beach Volleyball, and LIV Golf. Entertainment programming continues to feature scripted series (All American, Sullivan's Crossing, Superman and Lois, Walker, 90210, Penn & Teller: Fool Us), game shows (Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit), unscripted programming (Banana Ball World Tour), and licensed international series. Core technology is broadcast infrastructure with digital streaming extensions; no proprietary AI/ML or developer-facing API capabilities are documented.

The CW generates revenue primarily through advertising sales, supplemented by cable/satellite carriage fees, streaming distribution agreements (with CW retaining advertising sales control), and sports media rights licensing. Following programming restructuring that dedicates 47% of schedule to sports or sports-adjacent content, the network has achieved a 32% cash flow improvement and is on a stated path to quarterly profitability by Q4 2026. The network is one of five major U.S. broadcast networks and operates with 101-250 employees from Burbank, California.

Name

The CW Network

Legal name

The CW Network, LLC

Website

https://cwtv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The CW Network is a U.S. broadcast television network reaching ~80% of American households, majority-owned by Nexstar Media Group. It offers free over-the-air entertainment and 800+ hours of live sports annually, including exclusive WWE NXT, NASCAR, and college football and basketball, distributed via streaming partners ESPN and Roku.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Television & Live Sports Programming

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

National & Regional Sports TV Networks (Linear) (MPABAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Sports Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAC), Free TV / Syndication Distribution (MPADAJAI), College & University Sports Networks (Conference/School-Owned) (MPABAJAD)

Keywords

• Broadcast television network
• Live sports broadcasting
• Free over-the-air television
• Entertainment programming scheduling
• Streaming content distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: The CW generates primary revenue through advertising sales. Nexstar reported that The CW achieved 32% cash flow improvement through restructured programming where 47% of schedule is sports or sports-adjacent content.
2. Carriage Fees: Broadcast network generates revenue from cable and satellite carriage fees for distribution through pay-TV packages.
3. Streaming Distribution Deals: Revenue generated through streaming partnerships with ESPN (ESPN Unlimited subscribers) and Roku (advertising opportunities combining broadcast and streaming audiences). CW retains control over advertising sales for streaming content.
4. Media Rights Agreements: Revenue from media rights deals for sports content including NASCAR, WWE NXT, ACC, Pac-12, and Mountain West conferences.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The CW Network is a free over-the-air U.S. broadcast television network producing and airing original entertainment series, game shows, and (since 2023) an expanding slate of live sports programming including NASCAR, WWE NXT, and college football and basketball from the ACC, Pac-12, and Mountain West conferences. Distribution spans linear broadcast, the CW App (cwtv.com) and mobile apps, and streaming partnerships with the ESPN App and The Roku Channel, monetized primarily through advertising sales and cable/satellite carriage fees.

Product overview

The CW Network is a broadcast television network offering a unified streaming platform (CW TV/cwtv.com) that distributes live sports programming through CW Sports and entertainment series on-demand. CW Sports, launched in 2023, has rapidly expanded to become a significant sports broadcaster covering NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT (20 Premium Live Events plus 52 weekly shows), ACC/Pac-12/Mountain West college sports, PBR Bull Riding, PBA Bowling, and AVP Beach Volleyball. Entertainment programming includes original series (All American, Sullivan's Crossing, Superman and Lois, Walker, The Swarm), game shows (Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit), and the Banana Ball World Tour. The network also operates multiple multicast channels including CW Forever, CW Gold, and branded content channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CW TV (cwtv.com) Owned direct-to-consumer streaming and on-demand platform for The CW Network, offering free access to full-length episodes, live sports coverage, and original programming across web, iOS, and Android.
• CW Sports The CW's live sports programming division covering NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT, college football and basketball (ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West), PBR Bull Riding, PBA Bowling, and AVP Beach Volleyball.
• NASCAR on The CW Coverage of the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series including race broadcasts, replays, practice sessions, qualifying rounds, and driver content available free over-the-air and via streaming partners.
• WWE NXT on The CW Weekly professional wrestling programming (52 live Tuesday night shows per year) plus 20 Premium Live Events annually including Stand & Deliver, The Great American Bash, Deadline, and Vengeance Day, making The CW the exclusive home for all WWE NXT content.
• ACC Sports on The CW College football and basketball coverage from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) under a deal extending through the 2030-31 season, with The CW carrying 14 football games, 30 men's basketball games, and 10 women's basketball games per year.
• Pac-12 Sports on The CW Pac-12 Conference college football and basketball coverage on The CW as part of new media-rights deals with CBS, The CW, and USA Sports covering the rebuilding conference.
• Mountain West Sports on The CW Mountain West Conference sports coverage under a five-year deal through 2030-31 covering football, basketball, and Olympic sports across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms.
• CW Sports on ESPN App (ESPN Unlimited) Exclusive streaming distribution of CW Sports live events — including college football and basketball (ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West), NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, and AVP Volleyball — to ESPN Unlimited subscribers via the ESPN App starting Summer 2026.
• CW Content on The Roku Channel CW-branded hub on The Roku Channel providing next-day streaming of scripted and unscripted entertainment programming plus WWE NXT, with 800+ hours of library content reaching more than half of U.S. broadband households.
• Sullivan's Crossing Original scripted drama series on The CW based on novels by Robyn Carr, currently in Season 4 and ranking among the network's top three shows by total audience and 18-49 demographic.
• Scrabble (Game Show) Game-show version of Scrabble airing on The CW, hosted by Craig Ferguson in Season 2, featuring competitive word-game play.
• Trivial Pursuit Trivia-based game show adaptation airing on The CW featuring competitive gameplay.
• Banana Ball World Tour Coverage of the Savannah Bananas' Banana Ball World Tour featuring the Party Animals, Texas Tailgaters, and Savannah Bananas in choreographed, entertainment-led baseball matchups.
• Private Eyes West Coast Crime drama spin-off of Private Eyes airing on The CW and licensed to Global (Corus Entertainment) for Canadian broadcast, starring Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson.
• CW Channels (multicast networks) A portfolio of additional multicast channels operated by The CW including CW Forever, CW Gold, CW Presents WWE NXT, ACC Digital Network, Alien Nation, A&E Crime 360, Midsomer Murders, Ebony TV, The Bold and the Beautiful, Top Gear UK, and Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% cash flow improvement through restructured programming slate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and support.

• Global (Corus Entertainment)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 June 2026Global, a Canadian broadcaster owned by Corus Entertainment, acquired The CW's Private Eyes West Coast for Canadian broadcast in a 9:30pm ET time slot. Global confident the spin-off of the crime drama has already been renewed for a second season.
• ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026ESPN, The CW, and the ACC agreed to a new television deal extending ACC football and basketball broadcasts through the 2030-31 season. The agreement grants The CW 14 regular-season football games, 30 men's basketball games, and 10 women's basketball games annually. Since the partnership began in 2023, ACC viewership has trended upward on The CW.
• Raycom SportssupportImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 13 May 2026Raycom Sports will continue to produce ACC games for The CW under the new sublicense agreement extending through 2030-31. The deal extends a partnership that began in 2023 when Raycom moved its games from Diamond Sports Group-owned networks following Diamond's bankruptcy filing.
• RokucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 April 2026Content distribution deal with CW Network to bring programming to the Roku Channel starting fall 2026. This follows the broader partnership announced April 29, 2026, bringing CW-branded entertainment content to the platform.
• ESPNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026The CW and ESPN announced a partnership making the ESPN App the exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports live events, launching Summer 2026. The agreement covers more than 800 hours of live sports annually including college football and basketball from ACC, Pac-12, and Mountain West conferences, NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, and AVP Volleyball.
• RokucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 April 2026The CW and Roku announced a partnership launching Fall 2026 bringing CW entertainment programming to The Roku Channel for next-day streaming. The CW-branded hub will feature over 800 hours of library content including scripted series, unscripted shows, and WWE NXT, reaching more than half of U.S. broadband households.
• WWEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026The CW acquired exclusive broadcast rights to WWE NXT Premium Live Events in a multi-year deal. CW became the sole home for all NXT programming, broadcasting 20 PLEs over the coming years (including Stand and Deliver, The Great American Bash, Deadline, and Vengeance Day) alongside weekly Tuesday night shows. The deal expands upon the existing five-year agreement entered in October 2024.
• Mountain West ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026The Mountain West Conference announced a new multi-platform media rights package with CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW Network. The five-year deal for The CW Network through 2030-31 delivers over 150 live events annually across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms covering football, basketball, and Olympic sports.
• KiswesupportTechnology or Integration · 3 February 2026Kiswe partnered with CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW for the Mountain West media rights package. Kiswe will help launch the MW App as a paid subscription DTC streaming service in July 2026, available through Amazon Prime Video, Roku, and Apple TV.
• Pac-12 ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2025The Pac-12 conference announced a multi-year broadcasting agreement with The CW through 2031, complementing prior deals with CBS and ESPN. The deal extends the league's media rights for football and basketball amid conference restructuring following schools' departures.
• LIV GolfminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 December 2024LIV Golf secured a TV deal with CW Network, expanding its global schedule distribution. The Saudi-backed golf league operates independently while facing ongoing industry competition with the PGA Tour.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CW_network
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheCW
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secretaria-de-sa-de-do-estado-do-paran-
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecw

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The CW Network