More than 100 WNBA regular-season games will be broadcast each season through an 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC that the league announced Wednesday. While the league didn't reveal the value, a person familiar with the deal confirmed to The Associated Press that the WNBA would receive about $200 million a year. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.
The deal will begin with the 2026 season and run through 2036, with it potentially evaluated after three years and potentially give the WNBA a chance to get even more money. The WNBA's deal was announced shortly after the NBA's. "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 deal also will make the broadcast partners responsible for production and marketing commitments, meaning the roughly.$200 million a year is purely for media rights.
The league's current media deal is valued at about $60 million per year. The NBA, which owns about 60% of the WNBA, has negotiated the new deals. Under the new agreements, the partners will distribute more than 125 regular season and pla.