WNBA’s $3 billion media deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon is fragmenting games across 8+ platforms. With this new media deal, the league is heading towards major development. However, it also comes with a warning sign. Expensive subscriptions and too many channels could very well ruin the fan experience.
It all started back in 2024, when the NBA signed a huge 11-year, $77 billion media rights deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. As part of that agreement, TNT lost its NBA broadcasting rights. However, the deal was not only important for the NBA. The WNBA also became a major part of the agreement, helping the women’s league grow financially and gain much more attention.
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As per the reports, the value could rise close to $3.1 billion in the future if the WNBA adds even more media partnerships later on. The best part about the new media deal is that it’s now worth around $281 million per year on average. That is a huge increase compared to the league’s previous media deal, which brought in only about $43 million per year. Which means it is 6.5 times bigger than the old one.
However, with this massive revenue generation technique, a major concern lurks underneath. Games are now spread across ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, CBS, Ion, USA Network, NBA TV, and others. Hence, fans would need to have subscriptions across several streaming platforms. This creates confusion for new fans starting to watch the WNBA alongside an increased spending on subscriptions. This not just kill fans’ interest but also makes it challenging for them to keep up with the games.
Apart from that, watching sports has already become an expensive affair. A good example is how YouTube TV(ESPN, ABC, CBS, ION) costs around $70 to $83 per month. Then there’s Amazon Prime Video, which will set you back by $9 to $15 per month. On top of that, the WNBA League Pass costs around $35 to $40 for the season.
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If someone watches multiple sports, they may need multiple subscriptions at the same time. And if you take them all, the costs balloon up to almost $2,000 per month. That’s exactly what also happened with the NFL. The NFL is no longer available on just one TV channel or streaming app. Most Sunday afternoon games are broadcasted on CBS and FOX while Sunday Night Football is now broadcasted on NBC and can also be streamed on Peacock. To give you a purview of how this sounds like, take a look at these couple examples from last season.
Games like Buccaneers vs. Falcons aired on FOX, while Lions vs. Packers was shown on CBS later in the day. Then again, Sunday Night Football between the Ravens and Bills aired on NBC. Fans may enjoy the traditional Sunday football schedule, but not without a piece of subscription from one service provider or another. This adds up to create major confusion.
The frustration over all of it is slowly increasing, and even Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has noticed this shift.
Cathy Engelbert addresses fans frustrations over the WNBA’s media deal
The new media deal has opened the doors for various streaming platforms but has left fans with no other choice than spending fortune on it. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she understands why fans feel frustrated. During a conversation with Sports Business Journal, she admitted that keeping up with so many subscriptions can be difficult and costly for viewers. However, she also hands out the reality.
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“I’m not running one of those media companies, so I can’t fix the cost thing,” Engelbert said. “I think I paid for 18 subscriptions, and I still haven’t cut the cable cord.”
Even though some fans are unhappy about needing many subscriptions, the WNBA believes the new media deals are helping the league grow very quickly. Having more TV channels and streaming partners brings in more money, attracts larger audiences, and gives players and teams much more national attention. This will even increase players’ and coaches’ salaries and add to their overall development. Cathy Engelbert also seems to double down on the same.
“I don’t disagree with the cost point. We’re outpacing the NHL and MLB on visibility as far as percentages. That was important. I think it’s important to the players that they be shown and their stories be told.”
The league also added special “reset” rules to the deal starting in 2028. This means the WNBA and its media partners can reopen talks later and possibly create an even bigger deal if the league’s popularity continues rising in the future. So, if this deal expands even more in the future, things might turn even more frustrating for the fans. because now it’s more about making a profit than fans’ satisfaction.
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