The Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) yearly media revenue is set to quadruple in its next broadcast rights deal.
The Athletic reports that the WNBA is close to securing a new 11-year broadcast rights deal, worth up to $2.2bn, which will see the league earn a record $200m as part of the NBA’s latest broadcast deal.
The report also outlines that the women’s basketball division could also stand to make additional revenue from other potential broadcast partners as the league continues to surge in popularity.
The WNBA’s current broadcast deal will expire at the end of 2025 and the new deal will see new NBA broadcast partners ESPN, NBC and Amazon gain rights for games. The NBA secured a seismic $76bn 11-year deal with those partners recently.
With the reported deal expected to skyrocket the WNBA’s player salary cap, players are set to earn the most the league has seen since being founded in 1996.
The WNBA average salary currently stands at $78,000, which is just 2% of that of their male counterparts in the NBA. However, the league has seen newfound TV ratings and attendance figures this season.
Helped by incoming rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese due to the popularity from their days as rivals in college spilling over into the professional league, it has seen the WNBA take on more prominence than ever before.
ESPN notes that the average attendance for the 2024 season has jumped to record levels at 9,311, with two games – both featuring Clark and her Indiana Fever – surpassing 20,000 fans.
The US sports broadcaster also highlighted that its average viewership has significantly increased by 183% from its ratings last year.
