|
Disney will show games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and
stream them on ESPN's upcoming direct-to-consumer service. NBCU
will distribute games on NBC, USA Network and/or its Peacock
streaming service. Amazon will stream games on Prime Video.
The agreements -- negotiated by the NBA concurrent with talks
for its new TV rights deals for 11 years valued at a reported
$76 billion -- will pay the league an average of $200 million a
year, and it could be more lucrative with additional media
partners, The Athletic recently reported.
The current national media contracts, though the 2025 season,
average about $50 million annually.
"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," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a
statement Wednesday. "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 media partners will carry more than 125 regular-season and
playoff games nationally each season. There will be at least 25
regular-season games on Disney platforms, a minimum of 50 on
NBCU and 30 on Prime Video.
Disney and NBCU will distribute games in some international
markets, and Prime Video's global reach is more than 200 million
Prime members.
"We've been partners with and believers in the WNBA over the
last four seasons and could not be more excited to expand our
relationship so significantly with this landmark agreement,"
said Jay Marine, Global Head of Sports for Prime Video. "The
league's recent surge in popularity is of no surprise to us, as
these incredible athletes continue to raise the bar and
electrify fans. We're looking forward to providing Prime members
around the world with increased access to the W's biggest events
as more and more fans gravitate toward the sport."
The WNBA, in its 28th season, has broken records for viewership,
attendance, merchandise sales, social media engagement, League
Pass subscriptions and app downloads, the league said.
--Field Level Media [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely
responsible for this content. |
|
