The WNBA’s reported 11-year, $2.2 billion media-rights deals with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon are just the latest win for women’s sports, which have been riding a wave of historic momentum in recent years.
With attendance and viewership rising across many leagues, broadcasters have been paying up big time for women’s sports. When the WNBA’s new deals begin in 2026, media companies will be paying at least $325 million annually for three of the top women’s sports properties.
- WNBA: $200 million
- Women’s March Madness: $65 million (ESPN)
- NWSL: $60 million (ESPN, Amazon, CBS, Scripps Sports)
Other recent, but smaller, media-rights deals for women’s sports competitions include Fox picking up the UEFA Women’s Euros and Peacock acquiring the soon-to-launch USL Super League. The PWHL is looking for a marquee U.S. deal after its debut season.
What’s Next for the WNBA?
News of the WNBA media-rights deals comes as the league heads into All-Star weekend, in Phoenix, before going on a nearly monthlong break while its top players compete in the Paris Olympics. Saturday’s All-Star Game format will see Team USA members face off against other league all-stars.
The WNBA may not be done negotiating its rights deals, either. The league anticipates selling two other packages that could bring in another $60 million annually, according to The Athletic. That would give current media partners CBS Sports and Scripps Sports a chance to retain their respective WNBA relationships.
With Fever rookie Caitlin Clark helping fuel ratings records on every channel she plays on, sticking with the WNBA would seem like a no-brainer for rights holders.
“Scripps Sports is proud of our involvement, investment, and commitment to the WNBA and its growth,” the company’s president, Brian Lawlor, tells Front Office Sports. “We believe we are an important part of the visibility of the league and hope to be able to continue serving WNBA audiences with appointment TV on Friday nights on Ion for many years to come.” CBS Sports declined to comment when asked by FOS.
A Hot Commodity
Leagues like the WNBA are seeing media-rights increases in part because sponsors are more excited than they used to be about being associated with women’s sports.
Ad measurement company EDO estimates that WNBA ad revenue has nearly doubled from $6.6 million in 2022 to $12.4 million in ’24, with fans 44% more likely to engage with league commercials so far this season compared to the same period last year. “The WNBA’s expanded media footprint marks a seismic shift in recognizing the immense value of women’s sports,” Laura Grover, a senior vice president at EDO, tells FOS.
“We know that live sports has always been one of the most premium packages that are demanded from our advertisers,” says Kenneth Suh, the chief strategy officer for advertising technology company Nexxen. “And we now know that women’s sports inventories are also starting to demand high interest from buyers, as well, and previously that just wasn’t the case.”
Still Not Enough?
Despite the historic nature of the WNBA deals, the leader of the league’s players’ association is still not satisfied with how the product is being valued in comparison to the NBA, which is on the cusp of announcing deals worth $76 billion over the same 11-year period. The reported WNBA deals would be worth less than 3% of the NBA’s.
“The NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said in a statement, referencing the NBA’s role in negotiating the WNBA deals. “We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at a $200 million [annual] 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.”
