Breanna Stewart, n ° 30 of the New York Liberty, dribble the ball against Napheesa Collier, n ° 24 of Minnesota Lynx, in the fourth quarter in the third match of the WNBA final at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 16, 2024.
David Berding | Getty images
Square has signed a new 11 -year -old media agreement with the Women’s National Basketball Association, the company announced on Tuesday.
The agreement starts for the 2026 season and includes at least 50 WNBA games per year and games of the playoffs and finals for some years, the company said.
Side, the parent company of networks and wired brands will soon be transferred from ComcastQuickly acquired sports rights and diving more deeply in female sports in particular.
The latest agreement widens a previous package between the WNBA and the USA network signed in 2024. The coverage will include the double heads of Wednesday evening, a dedicated pre-match show and an post-match studio program.
“We are incredibly proud to extend our multi -year partnership with the WNBA,” said Matt Hong, president of Sports for Versant. “USA Network will be a destination for WNBA viewers throughout the season, while we present the power of the stars through the League.”
For the WNBA, currently in its 29th season, the agreement comes in the middle of the record television hearing, attendance, sales of goods and team assessments.
“While the demand for women’s basketball continues to increase, partnerships like this extend the visibility and accessibility of our game,” said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a statement.
The League signed an 11 -year -old media rights agreement with Disney, Amazon and Nbcuniversal belonging to Comcast last July as part of the NBA media rights negotiation. The WNBA agreement is estimated at around $ 200 million a year, CNBC previously reported. He also signed a new agreement with the media with Scripps’ Ion in June.
Saying said that production details, including studio comments teams, will be announced in the coming months.
The new WNBA agreement means that for eight months of the year, female sports will be broadcast live on USA Network.
Earlier this month, Versant concluded a multi-year agreement with the volleyball of League One to broadcast matches in prime time on Wednesday evening. In August, the company signed an agreement to extend its rights to the US Golf Association, worth 93 million dollars per year, according to a person familiar with the agreement which spoke of the state of anonymity to discuss the terms of the agreement.
Square also holds many golf rights via the golf channel, in addition to the rights of the Premier League Soccer, WWE, NASCAR, the University Basketball Coverage of the Atlantic 10 and the Olympic Games.
“We are looking for sports offers that stimulate distribution, diversify sales sales and have a value,” said CEO Mark Lazarus in CNBC in May.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of Nbcuniversal, owner of CNBC. Square would become the new mother company of CNBC on the spin-off of Comcast de Visant.