More Basketball in Bristol: ESPN Continues NBA, WNBA Partnership With Long-Term Extension; Deal Features NBA Finals for All 11 Years, WNBA Finals for Five Years New deal runs through the 2035-36 NBA season and the 2036 WNBA season, respectively By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - 5:24 pm
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In a working relationship that has held strong since 2002, The Walt Disney Company and ESPN have extended their ties to the National Basketball Association and Women's National Basketball Association for another 11-year deal that'll run through the 2035-36 NBA season and the 2036 WNBA seasons, respectively. As part of the agreement, ESPN continues its longstanding position as the primary media rights partner of the NBA and the WNBA, as well as the exclusive home of the NBA's crown jewel event, the NBA Finals.
As the media landscape continues to evolve, this forward-thinking agreement represents a significant and bold step in our mission to serve sports fans, anytime, anywhere, including opportunities to successfully navigate the global digital transition, says ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. Through a premium collection of regular- and post-season game rights, culminating with the NBA Finals and WNBA Finals, plus studio and original content initiatives, we look forward to building upon our legacy of innovation with the NBA and continuing to play an important role in the extraordinary growth trajectory of the WNBA.
ESPN's full package of NBA and WNBA live events and programming, including the championship events, will be available on ESPN's upcoming flagship direct-to-consumer platform, launching in the fall of 2025.
ESPN will also continue its rights to robust NBA Playoffs and regular-season live event packages, including the NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC series - the marquee, national game of the week. In addition, ESPN platforms will exclusively broadcast five WNBA Finals series during the 11-year extension at a transformative time in league history.
Disney and ESPN have been part and parcel of the growth and coverage of the NBA over the past 22 years, says NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. And we are eager to build on this terrific partnership, which is one of the league's most extensive and longest-standing relationships.
In a new initiative starting with the 2025-26 NBA season, Disney's international package of NBA and WNBA games will be available to stream on its digital platforms, including on Disney+ in select markets around the world making this Disney's most significant global sports expansion.
Our partnership with Disney has been instrumental to the growth of the WNBA and women's basketball, as Disney networks have been the home of the WNBA since the league launched 28 years ago, says WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. We look forward to building on the incredible momentum we have accomplished together to enhance the visibility of the players and teams and providing more engaging experiences for our fans in the years to come.
More key WNBA highlights:
WNBA Finals exclusively for five out of 11 seasons;
Exclusive WNBA Semifinals series in eight of 11 seasons;
Extensive regular-season and postseason WNBA game packages for ESPN and ABC;
Expanded WNBA Countdown rights;
Exclusive WNBA All-Star Game broadcast annually;
Exclusive WNBA Draft and WNBA Draft Lottery broadcasts annually;
More highlight rights across platforms.
More key NBA highlights:
All 11 NBA Finals exclusively, plus 10 exclusive NBA Conference Finals series through 2035
Exclusive packages of NBA Playoffs first and second round games
Rights to launch new NBA studio show featuring whip-around coverage on game nights
NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC and NBA Sunday Showcase packages
Exclusive home of the NBA Draft, NBA Draft Lottery and NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
Wednesday and select Friday NBA games on ESPN
All five NBA Christmas Day games annually; exclusive national coverage of regular-season's final day
Widespread ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes coverage, including NBA Finals, NBA Draft, NBA Playoffs, Conference Finals and regular-season games
Development of the official The Bubble documentary - a behind-the-scenes look at the 2020 Pandemic-era NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals in quarantine at the Walt Disney World Resort
More alternate-cast opportunities that will utilize the tremendous depth and breadth of Disney's global brands and platforms
Extensive slate of G League and summer league games, including the championship games
NBA and WNBA Help Fuel ESPN BET
The new agreement provides ESPN with all necessary rights to create best-in-class sports betting experiences for NBA and WNBA fans. ESPN will have increased rights to utilize NBA and WNBA highlights and content within its sports betting coverage and to support or integrate into ESPN BET promotions. Furthermore, ESPN has secured the rights to future NBA-focused sports betting specials and series.
More Studio Programming than Ever
ESPN has secured the rights to expand its NBA studio coverage via new whip-around programming. The rights include the ability to establish coverage on Disney nights, starting with enhanced game access, player arrivals and interviews. Additionally, rights include highlighting live action from around the league with real-time highlights and live cut-ins. In addition to whip-around coverage of the night's games, the show will also include segments focused on different aspects of basketball, including culture and fashion, player arrivals, produced features and breakdowns from ESPN's leading analysts. ESPN will continue to air its NBA Countdown pregame show and its weekday studio show NBA Today.
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This groundbreaking deal will facilitate a forma
