WNBA Media Deals Top $3B

Afternoon Edition

May 11, 2026

The WNBA’s media-rights haul has now topped $3 billion after the league added several new partners to its landmark TV package. The expanded deal shows just how much the league’s value has climbed as broadcasters and streamers keep chasing live sports rights.

—Colin Salao

First Up

Fox added two NFL games as the league faces growing political scrutiny over its expanding streaming strategy. Read the story.
Cowboys-Giants will open NBC’s Sunday Night Football slate as the NFL schedule rollout begins. Read the story.
NBC expanded its NFL inventory with another nationally exclusive late-season game heading into the postseason. Read the story.
The Braves are thriving on the field and posted a revenue jump, even as the RSN transition creates short-term pressure. Read the story.

WNBA Media Deals Now Exceed $3 Billion in Total Value

The Indianapolis Star

The WNBA has significantly increased its record-setting media deal.

The WNBA’s 11-year deal is worth $3.1 billion with partners Disney (ABC/ESPN), NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock), Amazon (Prime Video), Paramount (CBS), Scripps (Ion), USA Sports (USA Network), and NBA TV, a source familiar with the league’s deals confirmed to Front Office Sports.

The average annual value of the new media deal is $281 million, about 6.5 times more than the previous deal’s AAV of $43 million. The WNBA added CBS, Scripps, and Amazon as partners over the last few years, bringing its total media revenue to around $60 million last year.

In July 2024, the WNBA secured a $2.2 billion media deal over 11 years with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon, a portion of the NBA’s broader $77 billion deal. The WNBA has since added USA Sports and renewed deals with Scripps and Paramount to get to $3.1 billion.

The deals come with “re-set” provisions after the third season (2028). If triggered, the sides can renegotiate the terms of the deal, including length and cost, but it’s unclear whether the provision can be triggered by the league, its partners, or both.

The source said there is also revenue-sharing included in the deals that could push the number above $281 million annually. The league will receive a portion of advertising and sponsorship revenue from any partner that “recoups its financial investment.”

Under the new media deals, the WNBA secured a record 216 national games for the 2026 season, which started Friday. Ion holds the most number of games (50), followed by USA Network (48).

The WNBA playoffs will be split among ABC/ESPN, USA, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video. The breakdown is as follows:

First round: ABC/ESPN (two series), USA Network and Prime Video (one series each)
Semifinals: NBC/Peacock (one series), ESPN/ABC (one series)
Finals: NBC (Games 1 and 4), USA (Games 2, 3, 5–7), and Peacock (all games)

This year will be the first time since 2000—the WNBA’s fourth season—that a Disney network will not air the WNBA Finals.

The large number of partners across free TV, cable, and streaming has created a potential fragmentation issue plaguing all of sports. On Friday, commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked about the issue.

“The WNBA is not unique in this battle, right? It’s the free market that the U.S. has in the media market because there’s a lot of participants,” Engelbert told Sports Business Journal.

Engelbert added she feels there will be “consolidation over time” among media companies.

A Conversation With Netflix’s VP of Sports

“Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” is an event series featuring the biggest dealmakers in sports discussing the future of sports media and technology in an intimate setting. Past guests have included Jimmy Pitaro, Rick Cordella, Gary Bettman, Jay Marine, Mark Shapiro, Hans Schroeder, Christian Oestlien, and Don Garber.

Gabe Spitzer, Netflix’s VP of sports, is the featured guest on Tuesday, May 12, starting at 4 p.m. ET. In this closed-door conversation, Marchand will ask Spitzer about Netflix’s future sports strategy, what has worked so far, and how the company approaches live events for its members.

The event is free and includes light appetizers and cocktails. Space is limited, so signing up does not guarantee a spot. Request an invite here.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Spotlight Intensifies

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

“The longer he continues to evade questions, the more motivation he’s giving to the tabloids to keep pursuing the story.”

—Jemele Hill told Front Office Sports that Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s handling of the growing scrutiny surrounding him and former NFL reporter Dianna Russini will likely only intensify media coverage. The scandal has already generated weeks of headlines tied to photos, videos, and speculation about the pair’s relationship.

Vrabel led New England to the Super Bowl in his first season as head coach and remains widely respected inside the organization, but some media observers like Hill are beginning to question whether the continued attention could eventually become too much of a distraction for the Patriots—and possibly lead to the two parting ways. Read the story.

STATUS REPORT

Two Up, Two Push

South Bend Tribune

USC–Notre Dame rivalry ⬆ One of college football’s most storied rivalries may be coming back. After this rivalry series was halted indefinitely in December 2025, sources tell the Los Angeles Times that the schools are in discussion to bring it back because Notre Dame is willing to play the game earlier in the season. Previously, Notre Dame wanted a late-season game, while USC wanted to move it to the start of the season. Still, a scheduled return won’t happen until at least 2030.

Ryan Lochte ⬆ The 12-time Olympic medalist and third-most-decorated swimmer in Olympic history will make his first foray into coaching, getting hired as Missouri State’s new assistant coach on Sunday. Though Lochte never formally retired, he last competed at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. In the meantime, he auctioned off several of his Olympic medals last December, raking in a combined $316,000.

NCAA softball ⬆⬇ The sport’s NCAA tournament bracket was revealed Sunday night, with Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska earning the four No. 1 seeds. This year, the tournament changed its bracket structure to seed 32 teams rather than 16, following in the footsteps of volleyball and soccer. While there remain 16 national seeds in the field of 64 that host as Nos. 1–4 seeds, 16 other teams will be seeded 5–8 and paired into pods with the top 16. This move could possibly give higher-ranked teams “easier” matchups in early rounds and decrease the number of upsets.

Victor Wembanyama ⬆⬇ The Spurs star will not receive further discipline after he was ejected during his team’s game against the Timberwolves on Sunday night, ESPN reports. Wembanyama was booted after elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid in the neck, receiving a flagrant 2 foul for his action. San Antonio lost 114–109, and the series is now tied at 2.