WNBA Secures Landmark Media-Rights Deal With Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and NBCUniversal

WNBA Secures Landmark Media-Rights Deal With Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and NBCUniversal By Samantha Gabay, Digital Content and Social Media Manager

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - 5:19 pm

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The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) today announced the renewal of its partnerships with The Walt Disney Company and Amazon Prime Video, as well as a new agreement with NBCUniversal (NBCU). Beginning with the 2026 season and running through the 2036 season, Disney will distribute WNBA games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and stream them on ESPN's forthcoming direct-to-consumer service; NBCU will distribute its games on NBC, USA Network and/or Peacock; and Amazon will stream its games globally on Prime Video.

Under the new agreements, the partners will distribute more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationally each season, including a minimum of 25 regular-season games on Disney platforms, 50 regular-season games on NBCU platforms and 30 regular-season games on Prime Video. Additionally, Disney and NBCU will distribute games in key international markets, and Prime Video will distribute games globally to more than 200 million Prime members worldwide.

The new deals will also provide access for fans throughout the WNBA Playoffs and Finals. Disney will telecast two first-round series per year while NBCU and Prime Video will each telecast one first-round series annually. The Semifinals and Finals series will rotate over the 11-year term, with Disney distributing eight Semifinals series and five Finals, and Prime Video and NBCU each distributing seven Semifinals series and three Finals.

As part of the deals, Disney platforms will continue to telecast all events from WNBA All-Star, including the All-Star Game, and the WNBA Draft, while Prime Video will continue to stream the Championship Game of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase. Prime Video Channels will be the global channels store destination for WNBA League Pass, the WNBA's subscription service for streaming live and on-demand games, in the U.S. and internationally.

The WNBA is expected to add additional media partners that will further expand the reach and accessibility of WNBA games as of the 2026 season.

Partnering with Disney, Amazon and NBCU marks a monumental chapter in WNBA history and clearly demonstrates the significant rise in value and the historic level of interest in women's basketball, said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. These agreements allow the league to continue to build a long-term and sustainable growth model for the future of women's basketball and sports which will benefit WNBA players, teams and fans.

We're proud of our highly productive and collaborative partnership with the WNBA since the league's inception in 1997, says ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. Through our marquee collection of rights, which includes the WNBA Finals, we will continue to play an important role in the league's extraordinary growth trajectory while fueling ESPN's digital future and super-serving fans as only we can.

As the home of the first-ever nationally televised WNBA game, we are excited to have the league return to NBCUniversal's platforms, says Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation. We look forward to showcasing the talented players and teams that continue to grow the popularity of the WNBA, while further bolstering NBCU's lineup of premium women's sports.

We've been partners with and believers in the WNBA over the last four seasons, and could not be more excited to expand our relationship so significantly with this landmark agreement, says Jay Marine, Global Head of Sports for Prime Video. The league's recent surge in popularity is of no surprise to us, as these incredible athletes continue to raise the bar and electrify fans. We're looking forward to providing Prime members around the world with increased access to the W's biggest events as more and more fans gravitate toward the sport.

The new media deals come at a pivotal moment of growth for the WNBA and follow a historic start to the WNBA's 28th season. Over the past several months, the league has added its most anticipated rookie class ever; announced expansion franchises in San Francisco/Bay Area and Toronto; and shattered records for viewership, attendance, merchandise sales, social media engagement, League Pass subscriptions and app downloads.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/07/24/wnba-secures-landmark-media-rig...
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