On April 29, 1961, the American Broadcast Company (ABC) launched Wide World of Sports. Jim McKay introduced audiences to a variety of sports from motorsports, the Olympics, football, basketball, baseball, and other sports for everyone to watch.
Wide World of Sports ran from 1961 until January 3, 1998, when many of these sports leagues started to put their games behind the paywall known as cable and satellite. Since the late 90s, more and more leagues have gone behind the paywall leaving fewer games on national broadcast television including the playoffs.
While Wide World of Sports declined, a new network emerged in the sports world known as FOX. In 1994, FOX Sports was born when it acquired the National Football League (NFL) NFC East package from CBS. They quickly established credibility when they brought Pat Summerall and John Madden as their lead announcers.
FOX Sports quickly expanded into Major League Baseball, National Hockey League (1994-99), and in the later years added Major League Soccer, NASCAR, NHRA, World Baseball Classic, and the USFL. Depending on who you talk to, some people consider FOX Sports the superior network for sports over NBC, CBS, and ABC.
However, while these networks do air their games on broadcast television, the majority of their games are behind a paywall. Then, a game changer started to happen. Beginning in the 21st century, streaming services started to make their way into homes beginning with Netflix in 2007.
Over the years, streaming was offering a cheaper plan than cable and satellite companies which led to people starting to cut their providers due to how expensive they were. Streaming continued to evolve when PlayStation Vue and Sling TV launched in 2015 offering cheaper prices for the same channels. Meanwhile, cable and satellite companies continued to decline and now it has affected regional sports networks such as Bally Sports and AT&T SportsNet.
With the collapse of regional sports networks in progress, many teams are beginning the process of returning to broadcast television such as the Phoenix Suns, and Arizona Coyotes, while others like the Vegas Golden Knights have launched their own streaming service to broadcast games.
There is another broadcast network that has thrown their name into the hat and it is The CW. In 1995, the WB and UPN launched their broadcast networks. During this era, UPN and the WB would air regional sports games, and UPN aired WWF Smackdown from 1999 until 2005. The WWE would stay an additional three years before they left for MyNetworkTV and later USA Network and FOX.
In 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment merged the WB and UPN to create The CW. The new network focused on catering to a younger audience but it struggled to reach them. Over the years, The CW lost Smallville in 2011, and the network later aired more DC Comic shows from Arrow, Supergirl, and The Flash along with reviving the hit comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway, and other programs geared toward a younger audience.
In May 2022, WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS sold The CW Network to Nexstar. Nexstar wasted no time starting a complete makeover by getting rid of shows from Batwoman, Roswell, New Mexico, In the Dark, and other shows.
Nexstar started to turn its attention by building sports programming. In January 2023, The CW signed its first-ever national sports broadcast contract with the LIV Golf Tour for three years. Later, they got Inside the NFL, a longtime show that aired for years on Showtime. Next, Nexstar made its second big signing with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) broadcasting 50 games between football and basketball.
A short time later, Nexstar acquired the rights to the entire NASCAR Xfinity Series season starting in 2025. In addition, The CW aired a program called 100 Days to Indy. Last week, Nexstar are getting back into the wrestling business by signing with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) to bring its signature show Powerrr, and a reality show. In addition to the NWA, The CW also airs Women of Wrestling (WOW).
With these recent acquisitions, The CW is building its own version of Wide World of Sports and many sports leagues are taking notice. The CW has not engaged with any of the big five leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS, and NHL) yet but in the future could air some of their games.
The CW are building something unique in the sports world by adding these leagues and it will be interesting to see who they add next. The future is looking promising for The CW Network.
