Connecticut Sun forward Briona Jones (left) and Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on June 18, 2024 The Sparks battle for possession in a WNBA game against the Suns.
Anthony Nesmith | Illustrated Sportsline | Getty Images
The WNBA’s new media rights deal includes a re-evaluation of prices after the 2028 season to accommodate the league’s rising popularity, according to people familiar with the matter.
The WNBA trade is in Wider $77 billion The NBA announced agreements with media partners earlier this week. The WNBA’s specific contract is worth $2.2 billion for 11 seasons, averaging $200 million per year.
NBA’s new trio of partners— disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon No specific value was assigned to the WNBA as part of its original bidding package, worth $2.6 billion, $2.5 billion and $1.8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
In contrast, the NBA and Under the Endeavor Group A media advisory team led by Karen Brodkin and Hilary Mandel is evaluating the value of the WNBA rights, people familiar with the matter said. Endeavor’s proposal values the rights at about $125 million per year, people familiar with the matter said.
The NBA pushed for more funding for the women’s league amid interest from star rookies Kaitlin Clark and Angel Reese, eventually convincing its media partners to allocate an average of $200 million per year to the league, according to people familiar with the matter.
Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon have agreed to reassess the value after the 2028 season, and the annual cost of $200 million will serve as a floor price for the league’s broadcast rights, people familiar with the matter said.
The league will again work with a third party to evaluate possible increases in broadcast rights based on television ratings, expansion and possible changes to the length of the regular season or playoffs, people familiar with the matter said. Media partners will not be forced to pay more as a result of the reassessment, but they will be incentivized to do so, people familiar with the matter said.
Halfway through the season, the WNBA has had 16 nationally televised games surpass the 1 million viewer mark, setting a league record.
“We saw the highest attendance in 26 years to open the season and set multiple ratings records,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said last week. “Attendance numbers for many of our teams have been high. All increased by three digits.”
The WNBA will also have the opportunity to add additional revenue through external partnerships with other media companies, including local radio station groups like Scripps and Ion, and participate in a share of advertising revenue when certain metrics are met, people familiar with the matter said. structure. The league estimates that outside media deals could bring in another $60 million annually.
—CNBC’s Lillian Rizzo and Jess Golden contributed to this report.
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