The CW Network secures rights to broadcast select ACC football, basketball games

A surprising network will be broadcasting ACC football and basketball games beginning this fall. The CW Network will show 50 ACC college football and basketball games through 2026-27, the league announced on Thursday.

The first ACC game on the network will take place on Saturday, Sept. 9 when Pitt hosts Cincinnati. Games will air every Saturday throughout the college football season during the afternoon and in primetime.

In addition to showing 13 ACC football games, The CW will also air 28 men’s basketball games and nine women’s basketball games per year. According to a release, “the 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 games for the CW.

“We are thrilled to be adding The CW to our weekly television lineup for ACC football and basketball games,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement. “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 also released a statement on its decision to begin broadcasting ACC games.

“We are committed to making The CW a destination for live, appointment-viewing sporting events,” CW Network President Dennis Miller said. “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.”

Jim Phillips explains how ACC can ‘close the revenue gap’ between Big Ten, SEC

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips has said that the ACC needs to get creative to close the revenue gap between the Big Ten and SEC. Broadcasting games on The CW Network could be a part of that plan as it will get more eyes on ACC games.

Here is what Phillips said in May about how the league is going to try to bring in more money:

“It’s been no secret, we’ve had these conversations for a while. And we’re looking at a variety of ways to close the revenue gap that we see coming up,” Phillips told the ACC Network in May. “Really healthy and productive sessions and meetings and conversations. … There’s no magic bullet that closes that gap, so we’re going to have to be creative, and we have been creative about three-four-five, six different things that I think have a chance to help us.”