The CW is well known for making all of its popular TV shows and movies available for free across broadcasting and streaming.
When it comes to live sports, the experience is a bit different.
The CW has expanded its sports offerings to include events like NASCAR Xfinity Series races, WWE NXT, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) football games, Pac-12 football games, and LIV Golf.
These events are designated as “broadcast only,” meaning they are not available for live streaming on The CW app or website. NASCAR and WWE events will be available on the CW app the day after their live broadcast.
If you want to watch these sports events live, you’ll need access to The CW through traditional over-the-air broadcasts or cable. Alternatively, you can opt for a live TV streaming service that carries The CW as a broadcast network.
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, and Fubo all carry local CW stations, but it’s far from free. YouTube TV is the cheapest option, which starts at $72.99 per month.
Getting Live Sports on The CW
You should start using a TV antenna if you want to start getting live sports on The CW, and other broadcast channels like FOX, NBC, FOX and ABC.
Some people have complained about getting lower resolution feed of a live CW channel when subscribing to a streaming service. However, under 5 percent of local CW affiliates are broadcasting in 480i, according to data that I analyzed from rabbitears.info.
Among the 273 CW affiliates in the U.S., there are 182 stations broadcasting in 1080i, 78 stations in 720p, and 13 stations in 480i.
Instead of picking an antenna that is advertised as having a long range, focus on two other metrics that give you better reception for your specific area. Find out whether your local CW station and other broadcasters are on the UHF or VHF band.
You can use an online tool like the FCC’s DTV Reception Maps to get a readout of UHF and VHF stations in and around your zip code. Most local stations operate on the UHF band in the U.S., but if there is a local channel you want that’s on the VHF band, then you need VHF elements on your antenna.
Next, you should consider the distance of these towers, but don’t conflate it with the advertised “antenna range,” which is a bogus metric. Under the product specifications, you should be able to find the inherent antenna gain isotropic, or dBi.
For people living in an urban area, who are very close to TV towers, a low gain (1 to 5 dBi) will probably be fine. A medium gain antenna (6 to 10 dBi) works well in suburban areas. People living in rural areas should use a high gain antenna (11 – 20 dBi or higher).
Picking a multi-directional antenna will work in many situations, but a directional antenna is best for rural areas where you might want to receive a weak signal.
With these basics for using an antenna under your belt, you should be able to start watching live sports on The CW, including college football and NASCAR. Picking up other major broadcasters like FOX and NBC will be a nice bonus.
