Riverdale, Supernatural, Charmed and ACC football — and basketball. The highlights of The CW’s programming.
The CW Network has secured the exclusive broadcast rights to 50 ACC football and basketball games each season through the 2026-27 season, per a release from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The first ACC sporting event will take place on CW when Pitt hosts non-conference foe Cincinnati on Sept. 9 at Acrisure Stadium. Additional ACC games will air every Saturday through the 2023 season in the afternoon or primetime window. In addition to 13 football games, The CW will also broadcast 28 men’s basketball and nine women’s basketball games in December, January and February.
Men’s doubleheaders will take place Saturday afternoons while women’s doubleheaders will take place on Sundays.
“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 the release. “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.”
While a partnership with The CW Network may not appear glamorous, it is additional exposure on a TV network that is available to just about every market in the United States.
However, that is going to change a bit — and in Pittsburgh, no less. Per the Tribune-Review’s Rob Owen, Pittsburgh’s WPCW-TV will no longer be an affiliate of The CW this fall — with Owens further reporting Aug. 31 as the end of the affiliation.
Another Pittsburgh network would be able to pick up The CW, which will be independent upon being dropped by WPCW-TV this fall, but there has not been an announcement to this point. So, it remains murky at this point in time.
It bears watching to see where The CW ends up in Pittsburgh’s programming when it comes to Pitt athletics.
So, as of now, Pitt currently has games scheduled for ABC, NBC, ESPN, the ACC Network and The CW in 2023.
