The WNBA’s media rights deal just got even bigger.
Less than two years after the league announced a record-setting $2.2 billion media rights agreement with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon, the WNBA has already expanded that number north of $3 billion.
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According to Front Office Sports, the league’s 11-year media deal portfolio is now worth approximately $3.1 billion after adding USA Sports (USA Network) and renewing agreements with Paramount (CBS) and Scripps (Ion).
That works out to an average annual value of roughly $281 million — a massive jump from the previous deal’s annual average of about $43 million.
Not bad for a league that, according to commissioner Cathy Engelbert, had barely any national TV games when she took over.
“Remember when I joined the league, we had 15 games on national platforms, mostly on ESPN2 and ESPNU,” Engelbert said. “This year we’ll have 216 out of 330 regular-season games on national platforms. That’s over 65% broadcast nationally.”
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Of course, there’s a catch to all this growth. Fans are now expected to bounce between a whole slew of different streaming services just to follow their favorite team. The WNBA’s games are currently split across Disney/ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock, CBS, Ion, Prime Video, USA Network and NBA TV.
And yes, fans have noticed.
Engelbert addressed those frustrations during a recent conversation with the Sports Business Journal, acknowledging that keeping up with all the subscriptions has become expensive and confusing — even for her.
“I’m not running one of those media companies, so I can’t fix the cost thing,” Engelbert said. “The WNBA is not unique in this battle. It’s the free market that the U.S. has in the media market because there’s a lot of participants.”
She also admitted: “I think I paid for 18 subscriptions, and I still haven’t cut the cable cord.”
Still, from the league’s perspective, the trade-off is obvious. More partners equals more money and more visibility.
“I don’t disagree with the cost point,” Engelbert continued. “We’re outpacing the NHL and MLB on visibility as far as percentages. That was important. I think it’s important to the players that they be shown and their stories be told.”
The league’s new media package also includes “re-set” provisions after the 2028 season, meaning the WNBA could potentially renegotiate terms again if the league’s popularity continues to skyrocket.
And right now, the league seems pretty confident it will.
