The CW Network is on board with the new Pac-12 as a media rights partner, extending its contract with the Pac-12 through the 2030-31 season, forming a long-term relationship with the conference.
Two media networks have now been revealed as partners with the new Pac-12, with CBS Sports having announced its partnership with the conference in recent weeks.
The CW had already been partnered with the Pac-12 for the 2024 season and will be for the 2025 season, though that has been a football-only partnership that broadcasted exclusively Washington State and Oregon State game. Now the network will feature all of the members of the re-established Pac-12, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State and Washington State.
“The Pac-12 has been a key partner in the success of CW Sports, and we are thrilled to solidify our relationship with the conference for an additional five years,” said the president of The CW Network, Brad Schwartz, in a press release. “We have experienced firsthand the passion of the Oregon State and Washington State football programs and their dedicated fans and we are eager to introduce an additional seven schools in the new Pac-12 to our nationwide CW Sports audience. We are also excited to bring Pac-12 men’s and women’s basketball to our viewers featuring some of the most dynamic and celebrated collegiate programs in the country.”
As part of the partnership, The CW will feature the following on its network.
- The women’s basketball tournament semifinal and championship game
- 13 regular season football games
- 35 regular season men’s basketball games
- 15 regular season women’s basketball games
This now combines with what CBS Sports has agreed to with the Pac-12
- Minimum of three football regular season games on CBS
- Football championship game on CBS
- Minimum of three regular season men’s basketball games on CBS
- Men’s basketball conference tournament championship game on CBS
- An undetermined number of football and men’s basketball regular season games on CBS Sports Network (details TBA)
- All games on CBS will also be streamed live on Paramount+
This package puts all three of the Pac-12’s main championship events, football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, on national TV networks, the former two on CBS and the latter on The CW.
According to a press release from the Pac-12, these games will reach “100% of U.S. households via over-the-air broadcast networks.” The CW, although not traditionally known for sports content, has been increasing its sports portfolio through its partnership with the Pac-12 last year, this year, and with this future partnership. Additionally, the release stated that the CW has seen five consecutive quarters of ratings growth in primetime as the network has transitioned to more and more sports content, which now reportedly takes up 40% of The CW’s programming hours.
While the Pac-12 has now released more details of its much-anticipated media rights arrangement, the total valuation to the conference and its member institutions has not been publicly revealed or reported. Some of this is likely due to final details not being fully agreed to as reports have indicated that the Pac-12 will have as many as four or five media rights partners and only two have been publicly revealed.
Other potential suitors that have been reported include FOX, ESPN and Turner Sports. Exactly how much those companies want to be involved will be in question, though, now that major events like the championship games, along with 16 regular season football games and 38 men’s basketball games, have now been spoken for by CBS and The CW.
