Unrivaled Leaning In to TNT Deal With 850-Capacity Arena

The new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled isn’t going to play in the Kaseya Center when it tips off in Miami in January, nor is it going to schedule games in college arenas.

The league is making its own facility, and it’ll hold only 850 people.

Unrivaled announced Wednesday it’s working with a company called Mediapro North America to refurbish an existing facility that’ll house a court, training facilities, childcare spaces, and an area specifically designed for making content. The space will be close to 130,000 square feet and about seven miles from Miami International Airport.

All games in the first season will be played in the facility, but execs have openly pondered taking it on the road in Year 2.

The league’s decision to go with a smaller arena likely comes down to a number of factors, including scheduling conflicts with the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center. (That’s where the WNBA’s Miami Sol played for its brief existence from 2000 to 2002.) It also shows the league is fully banking on its media-rights deal with TNT Sports as the core of its business, rather than ticket sales. The TNT deal contains escalators that would pay the league more based on ratings; hence the fledgling league’s pursuit of ratings phenom and WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark.

“We’re excited to partner with Mediapro North America and usher in a new era of women’s basketball, complemented by an unparalleled player and fan experience,” Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said in a statement.

In the new facility, the league is prioritizing its players, and aiming to reach its fans on the couch. Unrivaled could potentially squeeze some ticket revenue out of the 850-person arena, though, by charging much more than the typical $10 or $15 cheapest tickets for most WNBA games. 

Mediapro is a Spain-based company that handles the audiovisual production for big entities like Copa América and LaLiga.

Unrivaled, founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, begins its eight-week season Jan. 17 with 36 players, up from the original 30. League execs said that move was possible because they had already exceeded their financial projections. Four spots remain, and the league has been preparing a sizable offer for Clark. Unrivaled also recently announced its six teams: the Laces, Mist, Rose, Lunar Owls, Phantom, and Vinyl.