On Tuesday, an international market witnessed a significant development within the WNBA’s media rights landscape.
TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland has made a landmark move by signing a multi-year media rights deal with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
WNBA signs multi-year deal with TNT Sports in UK and Ireland https://t.co/s0swmB4iXB pic.twitter.com/fjHZU8uAVE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 9, 2024
This groundbreaking agreement entails broadcasting at least 16 regular season games each year along with an undisclosed number of playoff games.
Major events like the WNBA All-Star Game and the WNBA Finals are also part of the deal.
A major aspect of this accord is TNT Sports’ commitment to airing primetime weekend games throughout the course of the deal.
Fans will not have to wait long before they can enjoy this incredible partnership. The 2024 WNBA regular season commences on Tuesday, May 14, and continues through to Thursday, September 19.
The first game under the TNT banner is set to be the New York Liberty-Washington Mystics face-off on May 14.
For UK and Ireland viewers, they can catch this spectacular midnight game on Wednesday, May 15.
Warner Bros. Discovery Europe’s Trojan Paillot, SVP of Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication, expressed her enthusiasm at the prospect of showcasing WNBA’s finest athletes from the 2024 season onwards.
“We are delighted to show the elite athletes that star in the WNBA beginning with the 2024 season, strengthening our women’s sport offering in the UK and Ireland which already includes Premiership Women’s Rugby, UEFA Women’s Champions League football, and Women’s UFC. The opportunity to broadcast the WNBA is another step to reflecting the diversity of our audience, while at the same time complementing our current basketball rights such as the NBA.”
Chief Growth Officer of the WNBA, Colie Edison, shared her delight regarding this pioneering collaboration with TNT Sports.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with TNT Sports to bring the excitement of the WNBA to fans in the UK and Ireland. There is incredible momentum around women’s basketball in the region, and now fans will be able to more easily follow their favorite WNBA teams and players throughout the season.”
On the domestic front, WNBA’s media rights will be up for bidding in 2025. The league has existing agreements with major networks such as CBS, Prime Video, Scripps Sports, and of course, ESPN.
