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The CW Network Adds Pac-12 Football Games To Growing Sports Roster

jill goldsmith and dade hayes
·3 min read

The CW Network is adding to its sports offerings, announcing today that it will be the broadcast home for 11 Pac-12 football games featuring Oregon State and Washington State during the upcoming 2024 season.

The Nexstar-owned network will provide full national coverage to showcase the strength of the Oregon State and Washington State football programs and student-athletes during these 11 home games. The season kicks off on August 31 with a doubleheader featuring Portland State at Washington State and Idaho State at Oregon State. All broadcasts will be produced by Pac-12’s production facility, Pac-12 Enterprises.

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“Adding the Pac-12 conference to The CW’s growing roster of live sports gives the network coast-to-coast coverage in key markets and solidifies our position as a national player in college sports,” said Dennis Miller, The CW Network president. “The CW will truly be a destination for all sports fans this fall with impressive weekend lineups consisting of Pac-12 football, ACC football, LIV Golf and NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff races.”

“We are thrilled to announce this national partnership with The CW,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “Oregon State and Washington State football student-athletes deserve this elite stage as they continue competing for the College Football Playoff, and Beaver and Cougar fans have a great opportunity to enjoy their teams’ successes.”

Pac-12 football joins an expanding lineup of live sports airing on The CW this fall, including a new season of ACC football, the final tournaments of the current LIV Golf season, and the network debut of the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The CW is also home to series Inside TheNFL, motorsports documentary series 100 Days To Indy and WWE NXT beginning in October 2024.

Last season, The CW aired two college football games that delivered over 1 million live total viewers according to Nielsen. The CW is poised to broadcast over 500 hours of premium sports programming in 2025, the company said.

The PAC-12 is a shadow of its former self, however. In a steady exodus last year, a roster of marquee schools headed by USC and UCLA decamped for other conferences. Once a power center known for national championship winners, the PAC-12 was enfeebled by its inability to shore up its media rights, at a time when rival conferences like the Big-10 and SEC were scoring multi-billion-dollar deals enriching member universities.

With intra-conference opponents much harder to come by, the two host teams for the 11 matchups will face unheralded opponents (certainly in terms of national TV exposure) like Idaho State and Portland State. Both schools are part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA.

“National exposure and the ability for Beaver Nation to easily access our games was a top priority during the process,” said Oregon State University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Barnes. “Additionally, the ability to announce game times well in advance provides an improved experience for our student-athletes and fans.”

“We are excited to partner with The CW to broadcast Cougar Football nationally for the upcoming 2024 season,” added Washington State University Interim Director of Athletics Anne McCoy. “Having WSU in 100 percent of the homes across the country will amplify the exposure of our student-athletes and program, and grow the connection with our fans and alumni. Additionally, the partnership provides for nearly all home game times to be set in the spring, allowing our fanbase to plan their fall weekends around Cougar Football.”

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