snieronbowling.com
BURBANK, Calif. — The CW Network announced Wednesday it has entered into a multi-year broadcast agreement with the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA).
Beginning in 2026, the CW will air 10 live PBA events annually in dedicated, two-hour windows on consecutive Sunday afternoons. The CW’s national reach and consistent scheduling will amplify bowling’s accessibility to both casual and devoted fans, according to a PBA news release.
“We are thrilled to partner with the PBA and add live bowling to our CW Sports lineup,” said Mike Perman, CW Network’s senior vice president of sports, in the release “Bowling is one of the leading participatory sports in the country, so we are eager to introduce the top players and exciting competitions its professional circuit brings to new audiences nationwide.”
The announcement provides two key items for the PBA: a consistent weekend date for PBA events on Sundays and a national network that provides additional U.S. households to provide more visibility.
But this will not be the extent of the PBA’s television coverage, as detailed in an email sent earlier in the week.
“Additional media partners and coverage, featuring more PBA events, will be added soon,” the email states. No other details were provided, except for this post on the X social media platform:
“Stay tuned for more announcements on where you can catch the rest of the PBA Tour season.”
The PBA joins a growing roster of sports on The CW, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which has drawn over one million viewers per race for the first ten events of the 2025 season. The CW also will broadcast another season of ACC and Pac-12 college football this fall, as well as three more Grand Slam Track weekend events in 2025 and AVP professional beach volleyball on Saturdays this summer. It also handled the LIV Golf Tour in the past.
“The PBA events on Fox do better than (some) college football games,” CW President Brad Schwartz said in an interview with sportsbusinessjournal.com. “When you try and find things that we can afford and build and give the power of broadcast to, there’s such a niche, passionate following for that.”
FOX televised five major PBA Tour championships in 2024, and is set to air 15 total title events this year. The 2024 World championship on Fox pulled in an average of 738,000 viewers.
As part of its last deal, a two-year agreement that started in 2023-24, Fox aired eight marquee PBA events on its broadcast channel and 22 other events on FS1.
The CW has the rights to 10 of PBA’s biggest events, including the championship. Financial terms were not disclosed. IMG Media negotiated the deal, which has been in the works for the past few months.
“We are excited to become a part of the CW’s growing commitment to sports broadcasting,” Lev Ekster, president of Lucky Strike Entertainment — owners of the PBA — said in the release. “The CW’s commitment to consistent, high-visibility broadcasts offers a game-changing platform to grow our fanbase, celebrate the immense talent and big personalities of our athletes, and bring a fresh energy to one of America’s most beloved sports.”
In an interview during the PBA Tournament of Champions, PBA Commissioner Tom Clark indicated that a future deal with FOX, the broadcast home of the PBA since the 2018-19 season, was all but dead.
“I’ll never say never until it’s over. But the indications are heading that way,” Clark said. “But I feel more positive about the eventual outcome than I have in a long time.
“There are a lot of interested platforms and a lot of people making offers. So the way it’s shaking out, I’m as positive as I can be that there is going to be a Tour, we are going to have all our big events and we’re going to be on in places where people can watch us.”
In the Cleveland market, the WB Network airs on WUAB Channel 43 as well as streaming services.
A full viewing schedule will be released at a later date.