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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)
Original release
NetworkThe CW
ReleaseSeptember 9, 2023 (2023-09-09) –
present
Related
ACC on Regional Sports Networks

CW Football Saturday is a presentation of college football on The CW produced by Pac-12 Enterprises, Raycom Sports, and CW Sports.

The CW began carrying college football broadcasts on September 9, 2023, with a package of Atlantic Coast Conference games sub-licensed from and produced by Raycom Sports (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—to broadcast most Oregon State University and Washington State University home games during the 2024 season. CW Sports also subcontracted the conference to produce studio programming for its college football coverage.

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 will air 11 broadcasts between the two teams (the remaining two will be aired by Fox College Football).[11][12]

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).[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]

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).[14] Notably, the games are not available on streaming-specific services like The CW app but are available through streaming TV providers.[15]

For the 2024 season, the production was rebranded as CW Football Saturday with a dedicated on-air presentation; 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).[16][17] Sister cable network NewsNation began to also be used as an overflow during doubleheaders.[18]

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."[19][20][21]

On-air talent

[edit]

Football

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (2023-05-18). "Superhero Shows "Had Their Time" as New CW Leaders Outline Plans to Make Network "Bigger and Profitable"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  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 (2023-06-15). "Bally Sports Kicks Another Asset to the Curb: ACC Football and Basketball Games". NextTV. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  6. ^ Lucia, Joe (2023-07-15). "The CW has added the 50 Raycom-produced ACC basketball and football games". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  7. ^ 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. ^ a b c "WPNT-TV to officially become Pittsburgh's new CW affiliate, carry ACC football". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  9. ^ "The CW's Coverage Of College Football's Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl To Feature Dave Portnoy And Other Personalities Calling The Game - Deadline". 30 November 2023.
  10. ^ Staff, CougCenter (2024-03-26). "Report: WSU, OSU ink deal to broadcast home football games on The CW". CougCenter. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  11. ^ a b "Pac-12 Football to be Featured Nationally Across The CW Network & FOX Sports in 2024". Sports Video Group. 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  12. ^ a b Lucia, Joe (2024-07-22). "The CW's college football talent lineup consists of many Pac-12 Network alumni". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  13. ^ Neumann, Sam (2024-05-29). "2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl will air on The CW". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  14. ^ Hernández, Kristian (2023-10-03). "College Football on The CW: Raycom Sports Extends Legacy With New ACC Broadcast Package". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  15. ^ "How will college football broadcasts on the CW work? Q&A with network president Dennis Miller".
  16. ^ Costa, Brandon (2024-09-20). "The Underdogs: The CW Is Emerging as a Sports Destination With College Football". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  17. ^ Dachman, Jason (2024-09-19). "SVG Sit-Down: Pac-12 Enterprises' Michael Molinari Says State-of-the-Art Production Facility Is 'Open for Business'". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  18. ^ Yoder, Matt (September 22, 2024). "Purdue-Oregon State game forced to start on… NewsNation?". Awful Announcing. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  19. ^ Kassim, Ehsan. "TCU football social media takes shot at ACC, The CW, says 'frogs on the cw, unfortunately'". USA Today. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  20. ^ Neumann, Sam (2024-09-20). "TCU brutally roasts ACC, The CW with 'This is SportsCenter' spoof". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  21. ^ Dixon, Michael (2024-09-22). "ACC trolls TCU, The CW on X after SMU blowout". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  22. ^ Marchand, Andrew. "Thom Brennaman returning to broadcasting with The CW". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  23. ^ a b c "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. 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  24. ^ a b Baxley, Rodd (2023-10-03). "What channel is NC State football vs Marshall? Time, TV schedule for Wolfpack". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  25. ^ Lucia, Joe (November 15, 2023). "Your 2023 college football Week 12 announcing schedule". Awful Announcing. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  26. ^ Ludwig, Karl (2023-09-04). "Broadcast Crew Announced for the Pitt CW Network Debut". Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
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