The WNBA tips off its landmark 30th season this Friday night, and the league is already proving to be one of the smartest investments in sports broadcasting. With new media rights agreements totaling a staggering $3.1 billion over 10 years—roughly $281 million annually—the WNBA is shaping up as what many experts call the biggest bargain in the game today.
Just two years ago, the league locked in an 11-year, $2.2 billion deal with Disney/ABC/ESPN and Comcast/NBC/Peacock. Since then, it has added separate partnerships with Paramount/CBS, Scripps/Ion, and Versant/USA, ensuring 216 regular-season games will air nationally this season alone. And the momentum doesn't stop there: this week, the expansion Toronto Tempo announced a separate deal with Bell Media's TSN, further extending the league's reach into Canada.
While the $2.2 billion contract doesn't kick in until the 2026 season, it was signed back in July 2024—right as the NBA secured its own massive 11-year, $76 billion deal with the same three national partners. But here's the twist: given the WNBA's explosive growth trajectory, that $200 million annual price tag for the main rights package now looks like an absolute steal, especially when bundled with the larger NBA package.
Why such a bargain? The numbers speak for themselves. Last season, over 25 regular-season broadcasts on ABC and ESPN, the WNBA averaged 1.2 million viewers. Compare that to the NHL, where 54 regular-season games on the same networks averaged just 760,000 viewers during the 2025-2026 season. Yet, in 2021, ESPN and Turner Sports signed a seven-year, $4.5 billion media rights deal with the NHL—that's $628 million per year, more than double what the WNBA is currently commanding.
Even the postseason tells a compelling story. Last June's Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.5 million viewers, while the WNBA Finals—where Las Vegas swept Phoenix in four games—drew an average of 1.5 million. The gap is closing fast, and with 245 WNBA games set for this season, including maximum playoff coverage, the league's value is only climbing.
For fans and apparel enthusiasts alike, this is a league on the rise—and its broadcast deals are the ultimate proof that the WNBA is not just growing, it's outperforming expectations at every turn. Whether you're watching from the stands or sporting your favorite team's gear, there's never been a better time to be part of the action.