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CW Football Saturday

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CW Football Saturday
Also known asCW Football Saturday, ACC on The CW
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time210 minutes or until game ends (inc. adverts)
Production companiesCW Sports
Raycom Sports (ACC)
Pac-12 Enterprises (Pac-12)
GameTime Productions (Mountain West)
Original release
NetworkThe CW
ReleaseSeptember 9, 2023 (2023-09-09) –
present
Related
CW Courtside Saturday, ACC on Regional Sports Networks

CW Football Saturday is a presentation of NCAA Division I FBS college football broadcast by The CW.

The CW began carrying college football broadcasts on September 9, 2023, with a package of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) games sub-licensed from and produced by Raycom Sports (initially billed as the ACC on The CW), as well as coverage of the Arizona Bowl sub-licensed from Barstool Sports.

In 2024, CW Sports reached an agreement with the Pac-12—which, due to realignment, had been reduced to two teams for at least the 2024 and 2025 seasons—to broadcast most Oregon State University and Washington State University home games during the 2024 season. The games are produced by the Pac-12's media department, which CW Sports also subcontracted to produce studio programming. CW Sports also acquired the rights to the Arizona Bowl outright.

For 2026, CW Sports renewed its rights to the Pac-12 (which would expand to include additional teams), and added rights to the Mountain West Conference.

History

[edit]
ACC on The CW logo used during the 2023–24 season.

After Nexstar Media Group acquired a majority stake in The CW, the company began efforts to broaden the network's demographic reach to encompass older viewers within the key demographic and linear television viewership, citing preferences towards streaming platforms by younger viewers. This would include an increased focus on imported programs from other countries, and sports programming. The network began to establish a sports division in 2023, initially with the acquisition of U.S. rights to the LIV Golf League.[1]

Raycom Sports has had a long-standing relationship with the Atlantic Coast Conference, having syndicated ACC basketball games, and later football, since 1982. Raycom maintained the rights to this package after ESPN acquired the conference's media rights in 2010. The broadcast television package ended after the 2018–19 season, when ESPN acquired its inventory for its new ACC Network cable channel.[2][3][4]

As an aspect of this agreement, Raycom also held rights to syndicate a separate package of ACC telecasts to regional sports networks. In June 2023, Bally Sports—the package's primary rightsholder—announced that it would drop the ACC RSN package, amid the bankruptcy of parent company Diamond Sports Group.[5] The following month, Raycom announced that it had sold the package to The CW, consisting of 13 football games, 28 men's basketball games, and 9 women's basketball games per-season.[6][7] The CW aired its first ACC football broadcast on September 9, 2023, featuring Cincinnati at Pittsburgh.[8]

On November 30, 2023, The CW reached an agreement with Barstool Sports to simulcast its coverage of the Arizona Bowl, which was previously exclusive to Barstool’s social media platforms since 2021.[9]

On March 26, 2024, it was reported by sports columnist John Canzano that CW Sports was nearing an agreement with the Pac-12 Conference—whose membership had been reduced to Oregon State and Washington State as a result of realignment—to televise the two teams' home games during the 2024 season.[10] The deal was officially announced on May 14, under which The CW would air 11 broadcasts between the two teams (the remaining two were aired by Fox Sports).[11][7]

As part of the expansion, The CW also rebranded its coverage as CW Football Saturday, adding a new pre-game show hosted by Mike Yam, and former Fox Sports personality Thom Brennaman as lead commentator for ACC games and selected Pac-12 games. The Pac-12 games, as well as the new studio show, are being produced by the Pac-12's in-house media department Pac-12 Enterprises (which consists of the remainder of Pac-12 Network's staff). Both CW Football Saturday and the Pac-12 football broadcasts would feature a number of former Pac-12 Network personalities, including Yam and commentators such as Ted Robinson.[11][12] On May 29, 2024, with Barstool ending its title sponsorship and broadcast rights to the bowl after 2023, CW Sports acquired rights to the 2024 Arizona Bowl.[13]

In April 2025, The CW announced a one-year renewal of its agreement with the Pac-12, with plans to air nine Oregon State and Washington State home games in the 2025 season (the remaining four will be split between CBS and ESPN).[14][15] The 2025 season introduced a new pre-game show, CW Football Saturday Countdown, hosted by Yam, Michael Bumpus, and George Wrighster.[16]

In August 2025, CW Sports announced a long term agreement with the Pac-12—which is expanding to nine teams,[17] consisting primarily of ex-Mountain West Conference members—to air 13 games per season from 2026 to 2030.[18] In February 2026, The CW reached an agreement with the Mountain West Conference to air 13 games per season from 2026 to 2030.[19] In May 2026, CW Sports renewed its agreement with the ACC and Raycom Sports through the 2030 season, expanding its football package from 13 games to 14 games per-season.[20]

In July 2026, CW Sports announced the broadcast crews for the 2026 season.[21] Among the details revealed in the announcement is that the pregame show will rebrand as CW College Football Countdown and continue to be produced by Pac-12 Enterprises.

Production

[edit]

With the limited turnaround time between the announcement and the start of the 2023 ACC football season, Raycom and The CW subcontracted resources from other broadcasters for its initial season of college football broadcasts, including ESPN (the conference's main rightsholder) temporarily allowing use of the ESPN College Football on-air graphics (pending the development of a dedicated CW Sports graphics package in time for basketball season), and its first game at Pitt sharing resources with Fox Sports (which was already at Acrisure Stadium for an NFL broadcast the following afternoon).[22] Notably, the games were not initially available live on streaming-specific services like The CW app (replays of Pac 12 games are available on a next day on demand basis) but are available through streaming TV providers;[23] in April 2026, The CW announced an agreement with ESPN to sub-license the digital rights to its sports output to ESPN Unlimited.[24]

For the 2024 season, the production was rebranded as CW Football Saturday with a new on-air graphics package; Raycom continues to produce the ACC games under the new banner, while the Pac-12 portion of the package, as well as studio coverage, is produced from the new Pac-12 Studios in San Ramon, California (which had opened as a new facility for Pac-12 Network the previous season).[25][26] Sister cable network NewsNation began to also be used as an overflow during doubleheaders.[27]

The TCU Horned Frogs' Iron Skillet rivalry game against the SMU Mustangs was televised as part of the CW's ACC package in 2024; the team promoted the game via a video satirizing ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" commercials entitled "one treefroghill" (referencing former CW series One Tree Hill), seemingly dissing the network by saying that the game was "unfortunately" on The CW. When SMU beat TCU in the game (its first victory in the rivalry since 2021), the ACC's X account quipped "'Thank goodness it was only on The CW' –TCU fans, probably."[28][29][30]

On-air talent

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (May 18, 2023). "Superhero Shows "Had Their Time" as New CW Leaders Outline Plans to Make Network "Bigger and Profitable"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ Smith, Michael; Ourand, John (October 5, 2010). "History with ACC secures future for Raycom". Washington Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ Luke DeCock (March 11, 2019). "The pilot sails no more: After four decades, ACC's longtime TV partner signs off". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ Smith, Michael (October 4, 2010). "History with ACC secures Future for Raycom" (PDF). Sports and Business Journal. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ Frankel, Daniel (June 15, 2023). "Bally Sports Kicks Another Asset to the Curb: ACC Football and Basketball Games". NextTV. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  6. ↑ Lucia, Joe (July 15, 2023). "The CW has added the 50 Raycom-produced ACC basketball and football games". Awful Announcing. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Petski, Denise (July 13, 2023). "The CW Lands Rights To Atlantic Coast Conference College Football & Basketball Games Through 2026-27". Deadline. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  8. ↑ "WPNT-TV to officially become Pittsburgh's new CW affiliate, carry ACC football". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ "The CW's Coverage Of College Football's Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl To Feature Dave Portnoy And Other Personalities Calling The Game - Deadline". November 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ Staff, CougCenter (March 26, 2024). "Report: WSU, OSU ink deal to broadcast home football games on The CW". CougCenter. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Pac-12 Football to be Featured Nationally Across The CW Network & FOX Sports in 2024". Sports Video Group. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  12. ↑ Lucia, Joe (July 22, 2024). "The CW's college football talent lineup consists of many Pac-12 Network alumni". Awful Announcing. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  13. ↑ Neumann, Sam (May 29, 2024). "2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl will air on The CW". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  14. ↑ Clinkscales, Jason (April 29, 2025). "Pac-12 Inks Media Deal With the CW, CBS, ESPN for 2025 Football Season". Sportico.com. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Washington vs. Washington State in Apple Cup among two Pac-12 games airing in primetime on CBS in 2025 season". CBSSports.com. April 29, 2025. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  16. ↑ Shipley, Reice (August 12, 2025). "The CW announces changes to broadcast teams for 2025 college football season". Awful Announcing. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Pac-12 Conference welcomes the addition of Texas State University". pac-12.com. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  18. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 27, 2025). "Pac-12 Extends Media Rights Deal With The CW Through 2030-31 Season". Deadline. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  19. ↑ Murray, Chris (February 3, 2026). "Mountain West lands TV deal with CBS, Fox, The CW; MW App going to a subscription model". Nevada Sports Net. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  20. ↑ Lerner, Drew (May 13, 2026). "ESPN, The CW reach ACC sublicense agreement; Raycom Sports continues to produce". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  21. ↑ "The CW Network Sets Broadcast Teams for 2026 ACC, Pac-12, and Mountain West College Football Season". Nexstar Media Group. July 15, 2026. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  22. ↑ Hernández, Kristian (October 3, 2023). "College Football on The CW: Raycom Sports Extends Legacy With New ACC Broadcast Package". Sports Video Group. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  23. ↑ Vannini, Chris (September 8, 2023). "How will college football broadcasts on The CW work? Q&A with network president Dennis Miller". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  24. ↑ Marchand, Andrew (April 29, 2026). "The CW making its live sports available via ESPN's direct-to-consumer app". The Athletic. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  25. ↑ Costa, Brandon (September 20, 2024). "The Underdogs: The CW Is Emerging as a Sports Destination With College Football". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  26. ↑ Dachman, Jason (September 19, 2024). "SVG Sit-Down: Pac-12 Enterprises' Michael Molinari Says State-of-the-Art Production Facility Is 'Open for Business'". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  27. ↑ Yoder, Matt (September 22, 2024). "Purdue-Oregon State game forced to start on… NewsNation?". Awful Announcing. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  28. ↑ Kassim, Ehsan. "TCU football social media takes shot at ACC, The CW, says 'frogs on the cw, unfortunately'". USA Today. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  29. ↑ Neumann, Sam (September 20, 2024). "TCU brutally roasts ACC, The CW with 'This is SportsCenter' spoof". Awful Announcing. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  30. ↑ Dixon, Michael (September 22, 2024). "ACC trolls TCU, The CW on X after SMU blowout". Awful Announcing. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  31. ↑ Marchand, Andrew. "Thom Brennaman returning to broadcasting with The CW". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  32. ↑ "CW Press | THE CW NETWORK SETS BROADCAST CREWS AND ADDS LIVE STUDIO SHOW FOR 2024 ACC AND PAC-12 COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES". www.cwtvpr.com. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
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