Caitlin Clark, n ° 22 of Indiana fever, brought the field during the first half of a WNBA match against the Chicago sky in Wintrust Arena in Chicago on August 30, 2024.
Melissa Tamez | Icon sportswire | Getty images
WNBA and EW Scripps Friday, a new multi -year media rights agreement to wear WNBA clashes Friday evening on Ion.
The new agreement also includes the studio program “Wnba on ion”, the first weekly broadcasting program dedicated exclusively to the cover of the WNBA.
The value of the agreement was not disclosed, but media reports showed the initial agreement which expires at the end of the 2025 season to an average of $ 13 million per year.
The WNBA has broadcast matches on Ion since 2023. This season, the network will broadcast 50 regular season games. Ion is available on television and streaming platforms in more than 128 million houses, according to a press release.
The new agreement comes after Ion had enormous growth with WNBA and the league gained popularity thanks to stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
The network said that the SPOTLIGHT TV on Friday evening of the WNBA increased by 133% from one year to the next and more than 23 million unique viewers listened to the coverage.
“Our solid partnership with the League has prospered, and we are delighted to consolidate the status of ion as a first -rate destination on Friday evening for the action of the WNBA for the coming years,” said CEO of Scripps, Adam Symson, in the press release.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that the partnership with Scripps has helped the League to extend its scope and visibility.
“This new multi-year agreement reflects the growing excitement surrounding the League and the growing demand for WNBA matches,” she said.
The League has signed an agreement with 11 -year -old media rights with Disney,, Amazon And Comcast-Antend nbcuniversal last July as part of the negotiation of the NBA media rights. The WNBA agreement is estimated at around $ 200 million a year, CNBC previously reported.
– Lillian Rizzo of CNBC contributed to this report.
Disclosure: Comcast has nbcuniversal, the parent company of CNBC.