The WNBA’s Record Media Rights Deal: A New Era for Women’s Sports Business

This agreement, which will bring in about $200 million annually starting in 2026, marks a 6x increase in media revenue and positions the WNBA as the highest-valued women’s domestic league globally.

The surge in media rights value is no accident—it reflects years of growing fan engagement, skyrocketing TV viewership, and the increasing commercial appeal of women’s basketball. Let’s explore how this historic deal came to be, and what it signals for the future of the league.

A 249% Jump: WNBA’s Media Rights Boom

The new deal, negotiated alongside the NBA’s blockbuster $76 billion media rights package, represents a 249% increase over the WNBA’s current $57 million in annual media revenue. The WNBA’s portion of the combined package jumped from 1% of the previous deal to nearly 3% of the current one—an impressive leap for a league that was long under-monetized compared to its male counterparts.

The 2026 deal brings new partners to the table: Disney (ESPN/ABC), Amazon Prime Video, and NBCUniversal. More than 125 WNBA games per season will now be aired across these platforms, with ESPN retaining marquee properties like the WNBA All-Star Game and Draft, while NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video expand coverage of playoff and Finals games.

Additionally, CBS and ION are expected to renew or expand their existing deals, which could push the league’s total annual media rights revenue up to $260 million—more than 6x its previous total.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the agreement “a monumental chapter in WNBA history,” one that enables sustainable, long-term growth for players, teams, and fans.

The Role of Fan Growth in Driving Media Value

The surge in media value is deeply rooted in a steady rise in WNBA fandom. According to Ampere Analysis, the percentage of U.S. sports fans who say they enjoy watching the WNBA has doubled over the past five years—from 6% in early 2020 to 12% in early 2025.

This broadening fan base is also younger and highly engaged online. The WNBA’s audience over-indexes in the 18-34 age group, which consumes player content on social media at rates well above average. This dynamic has driven growing sponsorship interest from brands like Ally Financial, which recently became a WNBA Changemaker with a multi-year partnership aimed at achieving gender parity in media spend.

Ally’s deal includes high-visibility integrations across WNBA media coverage, plus endorsement deals with young stars like Paige Bueckers—part of a larger trend where athletes’ individual profiles are helping fuel league-wide growth.

Record TV Viewership Validates the Business Case

Television viewership trends further validate the WNBA’s media rights escalation. The league’s average TV audience has soared from 224,000 viewers in 2016 to a record 657,000 in 2024—a nearly 200% increase over the past eight years.

The growth trajectory accelerated notably in the past three seasons, with year-on-year double-digit gains. The 2024 season alone saw a 30% viewership increase compared to 2023.

This surge has been powered by both improved product quality and rising visibility of individual stars. The WNBA has benefited from a pipeline of collegiate athletes who gained mass followings through NCAA Women’s March Madness, including breakout stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers. Their transitions to the WNBA have brought millions of new fans with them.

Unlocking the Full Potential of Women’s Sports

The WNBA’s $200+ million-per-year deal doesn’t just set a new benchmark for women’s leagues—it signals to the broader sports ecosystem that women’s sports can be premium broadcast properties.

While leagues like the NWSL and WSL have secured impressive media rights uplifts (the NWSL now earns $60 million annually, up from just $2 million), the WNBA deal is in a class of its own. Its total media value is more than three times that of any other women’s domestic league.

Still, there remains significant upside. Survey data shows that willingness to pay for WNBA content is now on par with that for the NHL and exceeds that of Nascar—both of which generate far higher media rights revenues today. The WNBA also benefits from a shorter season (making it a “premium” property rather than a volume-based inventory buy) and an increasingly passionate, socially engaged fan base.

Importantly, the new deal includes a clause allowing rights fees to be reevaluated after three years. Given the league’s trajectory, it is entirely plausible that the WNBA will negotiate for higher fees by 2029—potentially bringing its rights value even closer to established major leagues.

The Commercial Ripple Effect

The rising tide of media revenue is also lifting franchise valuations and commercial partnerships. According to Sportico, the average WNBA franchise is now worth $96 million—up 45% versus the average NWSL team. The Las Vegas Aces, recently valued at $140 million, were sold for just $2 million in 2021.

Investors have taken notice. The league secured $75 million in capital from a group of strategic investors in 2022, and its Changemaker program now includes top brands like AT&T, Nike, Deloitte, and Ally.

As WNBA media visibility grows, so too does its commercial ecosystem. Brands are eager to tap into this culturally relevant, diverse, and youthful audience—one that is often harder to reach through traditional men’s sports.

Conclusion: A New Blueprint for Women’s Sports

The WNBA’s historic media rights deal is more than a financial milestone. It is a validation of the league’s growing cultural impact, fan engagement, and commercial potential. The deal’s success has also laid a blueprint for other women’s leagues: build authentic player-driven storytelling, engage younger fans, and deliver a premium product that resonates both on television and across digital platforms.

As the WNBA prepares to enter this new era in 2026, the league will have unprecedented resources to reinvest in players, teams, and fan experiences. With the media market signaling its confidence—and with viewership and fandom continuing to climb—the WNBA’s upward trajectory looks set to continue well beyond this groundbreaking agreement.

Sources & References

ESPN. (2024). WNBA secures 'monumental' media deal with Disney, Amazon, NBCU. https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/45487803/wings-bueckers-mercury-thomas-set-return-wednesday 

Marketing Dive. (2025). Ally’s WNBA deal brings it closer to gender parity in sports media spend. https://www.marketingdive.com/news/ally-wnba-deal-gender-parity-sports-media-spend/745242/ 

Sportspro. (2025). How the WNBA’s fan growth contributed to a record TV deal. https://www.sportspro.com/insights/opinions/wnba-tv-rights-deal-fan-engagement-data-ampere-analysis/ 

Sportico. (2024). WNBA’s $2.2B Media Rights Deal Marks 6x Jump for League. https://www.sportico.com/leagues/basketball/2024/wnba-media-rights-deal-1234789726/