The Mountain West Conference finalized its new media rights agreement Tuesday, officially locking in where fans will watch Mountain West sports beginning with the 2026-27 season.

The deal includes CBS Sports, FOX Sports, The CW Network, and a conference-controlled streaming platform powered by Kiswe. It runs six years with CBS, FOX, and Kiswe, and five years with The CW.

For fans, the most important takeaway is simple: the Mountain West protected access.

The biggest games remain on major national networks. More games move to free broadcast television. Everything else: football, basketball, and Olympic sports, finally has one clear, predictable home.

In a shrinking college sports media landscape, that combination matters. From the conference’s perspective, this deal qualifies as a win.

The Big Games Stay Where Fans Expect Them

If you primarily follow Mountain West football and basketball, the viewing experience will feel familiar.

CBS Sports Remains the Anchor

CBS Sports continues as the Mountain West’s primary television partner, extending a relationship that has spanned more than two decades.

Under the new agreement:

• 15 regular-season football games per year will air on CBS Sports Network
• At least one football game each season will air on CBS (over-the-air) and stream on Paramount+
• 18 men’s basketball regular-season games will air on CBS Sports Network
• The Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship Game remains on CBS
• The Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship Game stays on CBS Sports Network

For fans, this matters because it preserves habit. The Mountain West did not lose its most recognizable television home, and its championship events remain on broadcast TV rather than being pushed to obscure cable tiers or streaming-only platforms.

That stability is not accidental.

FOX Keeps the Spotlight Events

FOX Sports retains one of the conference’s most valuable assets: the Mountain West Football Championship Game.

FOX’s portion of the deal includes:

• The football championship game on FOX
• 12 regular-season football games annually across FOX, FS1, and FS2
• 20 men’s basketball games per season

For fans, this preserves the moments that matter most. Friday night games, late kickoffs, and championship weekend remain on top-tier national platforms with strong promotion and reach.

The Mountain West did not sacrifice its biggest stages.

The New CW Addition

The most visible new addition to the deal is The CW Network.

Beginning in the 2026–27 season, The CW will air:

• 13 regular-season football games
• 20 men’s basketball games
• 15 women’s basketball games

This is a meaningful upgrade for fans. The CW is a national broadcast network, meaning more Mountain West games will be available without cable. Women’s basketball, in particular, sees a significant increase in national exposure.

At a time when many leagues are pushing content behind paywalls, adding free over-the-air inventory is a tangible benefit.

What Happens to the Rest of the Games?

This is where the deal changes the fan experience most.

Starting in July 2026, the Mountain West will move its app to a subscription-based model, powered by Kiswe.

The New MW App Explained

The MW App becomes the exclusive home for:

• Olympic sports
• Midweek football and basketball games
• Non-televised matchups
• School-specific programming

Fans will have access to:

• More than 1,000 live events annually
• Full-game replays
• Highlights and original programming

The app will be available on:

• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• Android TV
• Mobile devices
• Prime Video (via subscription)

Instead of games being scattered across multiple platforms, everything not on CBS, FOX, or The CW will live in one place.

That clarity is a win on its own.

Do Fans Need Another Subscription?

It depends on how you watch.

• If you mainly follow football and basketball on weekends, you may not need anything new.
• If you regularly watch Olympic sports, midweek games, or want access to everything, the MW App replaces the guessing game, but it will require a subscription.

One important difference: subscription revenue goes back to the schools, directly tying fan engagement to conference stability rather than disappearing into a third-party platform.

Why This Deal Works

The Mountain West did not chase a single exclusive partner or a headline-grabbing number.

Instead, it spread its inventory across:

• CBS for consistency and championships
• FOX for marquee football and basketball events
• The CW for free national exposure
• A conference-controlled platform for everything else

That approach prioritizes access over exclusivity and clarity over saturation. Fans know where the biggest games are. They know where everything else lives. And they are not forced to hunt across half a dozen platforms to follow their teams.

In today’s media environment, that restraint matters.

Comparing The 2 Deals

A direct comparison with the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference helps put this deal in context.

On paper, the two deals look similar. Both conferences secured CBS, CBS Sports Network, and The CW. Both promised stability to their remaining members. Neither deal represents a financial windfall.

But the structure differs in important ways.

The Pac-12 emphasized linear volume, placing a large share of its football and basketball inventory on USA Sports in addition to CBS and The CW. That approach maximizes the number of games on cable television.

The Mountain West emphasized event visibility and control:

• The football championship remains on FOX
• The men’s basketball championship remains on CBS
• More games are available on free broadcast television
• All remaining inventory is centralized in a conference-controlled streaming platform

Pac-12 fans will see more total games on cable.
Mountain West fans keep their biggest moments on top-tier national networks and gain a simpler, more predictable viewing experience.

That tradeoff favors accessibility over saturation.

Bottom Line

Measured against its reality, this deal works.

The Mountain West did not pretend to be something it isn’t. It protected its championships, expanded free access, centralized its digital inventory, and made it easier for fans to know exactly where to watch.

In a college sports landscape defined by contraction and confusion, clarity is value. In 2026, for the Mountain West and its fans, this deal is a win.