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
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
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.
Disney Magic: Marvel Studios and Walt Disney World Resort
This groundbreaking deal will facilitate a forma
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
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 
