ESPN and The CW have announced a new partnership that will see some NASCAR racing available for streaming on the ESPN app.
NASCAR O'Reilly Series races will begin streaming for ESPN Unlimited subscribers this summer as part of the new deal, while still airing on the main broadcast partner on traditional TV. This will be the first time ESPN has shown NASCAR racing (albeit not on TV) since 2014.
For those worried about whether practice and qualifying would still be available to stream on the The CW app going forward, worry not – the broadcaster has confirmed that they will.
UPDATE [12:24pm ET]: No they won't, O'Reilly Series practice and qualifying will only be streaming the ESPN Unlimited package once it goes live this summer
It isn't just NASCAR heading to the ESPN service though, but instead all of The CW's sports offerings – including college football and men’s and women’s basketball from the ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences, WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, and more.
READ MORE: NASCAR winner Carson Hocevar reveals how he pulled off epic Talladega celebration
The CW and ESPN join forces for sports streaming
The CW Network president Brad Schwartz said in a joint statement on Wednesday: “Joining forces with ESPN is a monumental next step in the evolution of CW Sports. The CW now offers more than 800 hours of premium live sports per year.
"This agreement extends the reach of CW Sports and enables us to capture audiences across the best of broadcast and the best of streaming, ensuring fans can access live CW Sports wherever they are and on whatever device they prefer.
"This new partnership will allow us to connect seamlessly with our audiences everywhere – from football and basketball to motorsports, professional wrestling, bowling, bull riding, and much more to come as CW Sports continues its exciting march forward.”
ESPN personality in NASCAR row
NASCAR's return to ESPN coincides perfectly with one of its leading personalities getting into a heated debate with what seems like half the sport's drivers, with Stephen A. Smith sparking indignant fury when he said that they're 'not athletes'.
Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, and even announcer Mike Joy are among those who have pushed back, with Logano saying 'people like that have to make comments to stay relevant'.
Of course, it's doubtful that an O'Reilly Series streaming deal with The CW would register on the radar of ESPN's best-paid personality, but...good timing, Stephen A.!
READ MORE: Joey Logano hits back after controversial Stephen A. Smith comments
