American women’s basketball league Unrivaled has secured major media visibility ahead of its inaugural season via an agreement with TNT Sports.
The multinational sports broadcasting brand, the sports media network of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), will present live game coverage on Unrivaled on both TNT and truTV, along with streaming on Max.
Coverage will encompass 45 regular season fixtures three nights a week, with twice-weekly games on Monday and Friday and additional broadcasts on truTV on Saturday.
In another significant development, TNT has agreed to invest in the league, though the amount has not been confirmed. This investment will sit alongside cash injections from Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) and John Skipper.
Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, said: “Our TNT Sports portfolio centres on premium live sports and our media and equity partnership with Unrivaled deepens our commitment to further expanding the depth of top tier women’s sports programming we offer our fans and presents an opportunity for us to shape and amplify the continued growth of women’s basketball.”
Unrivaled is a three-on-three women’s basketball league, founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty teams.
The competition will feature six teams for a total of 30 players, and will kickoff on 17 January 2025. TNT’s agreement with the league comes shortly after the company’s UK and Ireland division signed a deal with the WNBA, at a time of heightened interest in women’s basketball, particularly the US scene where the sport is widely followed.
“TNT Sports has a long and storied history of unparalleled coverage and production in both pro and college basketball, and I have witnessed their commitment to excellence firsthand,” said David Levy, Co-CEO of HS&E, who has been playing a role negotiating the league’s media rights deals along with John Skipper.
“Together, Unrivaled and TNT Sports are committed to growing the league’s brand and engaging fans with this exciting new three-on-three competition. By embracing a shared fan-first approach, we are dedicated to delivering a best-in-class viewing experience for the league’s inaugural season and beyond.”
