Earlier this week, it was reported that the NBA is securing a new media rights deal for $76 billion over 11 years. As part of those negotiations, the WNBA would receive around $200 million per year as part of their 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal, which is an annual increase of around $140 million compared to the league’s current agreements, according to a report by The Athletic.
As part of the new deal, national WNBA games will be found on the same partner networks of the NBA: Amazon, NBC, and ESPN. The WNBA’s current media deal is around $60 million per year, with Disney, Ion, CBS, and Amazon airing national games. The WNBA does expect to add two more rights deals, with the Ion and CBS deals having the option to renew, which could bring an additional $60 million per year to the league, according to the report.
Many networks are adding more sports content to their portfolios and women’s sports has greatly benefited. The NWSL recently agreed to a four-year, $240 million media rights deal with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports. As for the WNBA, TNT is reportedly still exploring options to keep NBA games, which could make them suitors for the sister league.
The new rights agreement could see an increase in player’s contracts and team valuations. Due to the league’s increased popularity, if the rights were to become undervalued within the near future, the league and its partners can renegotiate the price after three years, according to the report.
Since the WNBA’s rights are negotiated with the NBA’s media rights, there are concerns about the value of the league’s new deal with Terri Jackson, the executive director of the WNBA players’ union, putting out the following statement via The Washington Post:
“We have wondered for months how the NBA would value the WNBA in its media rights deal,” executive director of the union Terri Jackson said in a statement. “With a reportedly $75 billion deal on the table, the league is in control of its own destiny. More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA.”
“We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation — if initial reports are accurate or even close. Neither the NBA nor the WNBA can deny that in the last few years, we have seen unprecedented growth across all metrics, the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand, and that the fans keep showing up. There is no excuse to undervalue the WNBA again.”
Before the beginning of the season, WBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert had stated that she hoped the league could double its annual rights revenue. With the new agreement, the league would more than triple it by the time everything is finalized.
Cord cutters can easily access WNBA games by signing up for a live TV streaming service. There are plenty of options to choose from, including, DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Sling TV, Frndly TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, WNBA League Pass, ESPN+, Prime Video, and Paramount+.