Mountain West launches MW+ streaming service with school-specific revenue sharing

The Mountain West is pivoting to a decentralized D2C model to incentivize member schools to market digital subscriptions as a critical revenue hedge. By allowing institutions to keep a majority of regional proceeds, the conference addresses the hyper-local loyalty of college fanbases while centralizing long-tail content that falls outside major linear contracts. This move contrasts sharply with the relaunched Pac-12, which secured 100% linear distribution for its football slate via CBS, USA Sports, and The CW. The success of MW+ will provide a roadmap for mid-major conferences attempting to monetize Olympic sports and non-marquee inventory as the regional sports network model continues to erode. Watch for initial churn rates after the football season as a indicator of multi-sport fan stickiness.

The July 2026 conference realignment shifts signify a total reconstruction of the Group of Five and independent landscapes. Per AP News and Wikipedia (November 2024 - February 2026), the Mountain West officially added UTEP and Grand Canyon University as all-sport members, while North Dakota State and Northern Illinois joined as football-only affiliates. These additions were necessary to stabilize the league after Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State, Fresno State, and Colorado State departed for the rebuilt Pac-12. The concurrent launch of MW+ serves as a technological anchor for this new membership, aiming to replace the historical reliance on local linear outlets.

Similarly, the Pac-12’s relaunch on July 1, 2026, revolves around a aggressive linear-first strategy. According to reports from CBS Sports and USA Network (August 2025 - November 2025), the Pac-12 secured a secondary media rights deal with USA Network—rebranding as 'USA Sports'—to televise 22 regular-season football games and 50 men’s basketball games. Unlike the Mountain West's subscription-based D2C play, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould emphasized achieving 100% national linear reach via over-the-air and cable partners. The Pac-12 also retained its internal production arm, Pac-12 Enterprises, to handle over 150 broadcasts for its media partners, per conference statements.

Kiswe’s role in the Mountain West deal represents a significant expansion for the streaming provider. While Kiswe previously powered D2C apps for individual professional franchises like the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz (per Kiswe, 2023-2024), the MW+ platform is its first large-scale collegiate conference application that handles decentralized revenue distribution. This architecture allows the Mountain West to balance central conference governance with the branding autonomy required by individual university athletic departments.