July 25, 2024
Where to watch WNBA games under new media-rights deal
The new deal starts in 2026
On Wednesday, the WNBA announced the renewal of its partnerships with the Walt Disney Company and Amazon Prime Video. The league also unveiled a new agreement with NBCUniversal (NBCU). Here’s everything to know about where to watch WNBA games under the new media-rights deal, which will run from the 2026 season until the 2036 season.
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Throughout the duration of the deal, the partners will distribute more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationally each season. The breakdown of the games are as follows:
- A minimum of 25 regular-season games on Disney platforms
- 50 regular-season games on NBCU platforms
- 30 regular-season games on Prime Video
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Additionally, Disney and NBCU are set to air key international games, and more than 200 million fans worldwide will be able to view games on Prime Video.
As for the WNBA playoffs, the coverage is scheduled as:
- Two first-round series will be covered by Disney
- NBCU and Prime Video will telecast one-first round series annually
- Disney will also distribute eight semifinals series and five finals
- Both Prime Video and NBCU will distribute seven semifinals series and three finals
Disney platforms will continue to air WNBA events such as the All-Star Game and draft, while Prime Video will continue to stream the Commissioner’s Cup championship game. Fans will be able to use Prime Video channels as the destination for WNBA League Pass, the league’s subscription service for streaming both live and on-demand games globally. These new media deals could be supplemented with others involving platforms like Ion and CBS, which would bring value of the league’s overall media deals to about $3 billion, according to a source familiar with the situation.
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“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.”
The 28th season of the WNBA has been a historic one thus far. From records in attendance, viewership, merchandise sales, and League Pass subscriptions to expansion franchises in the San Francisco Bay Area and Toronto, it’s clear that the league is continuing to expand in all aspects.
The Next’s Jackie Powell contributed reporting.
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