Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever brings the ball up court docket in the course of the first half of a WNBA recreation towards the Chicago Sky on August 30, 2024 at Wintrust Area in Chicago, Illinois.
Melissa Tamez | Icon Sportswire | Getty Photographs
The WNBA and E.W. Scripps introduced on Friday a brand new, multi-year media rights settlement to hold Friday night time WNBA matchups on Ion.
The brand new settlement additionally consists of the “WNBA on Ion” studio present, the primary weekly broadcast present devoted completely to WNBA protection.
The worth of the deal was not disclosed, however media experiences peg the unique deal that expires on the finish of the 2025 season at a median of $13 million yearly.
The WNBA has been airing video games on Ion since 2023. This season, the community will broadcast 50 common season video games. Ion is obtainable on pay TV and streaming platforms in additional than 128 million houses, in keeping with a information launch.
The brand new settlement comes after Ion has seen large development with the WNBA and because the league features in reputation because of stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
The community mentioned WNBA Friday Evening Highlight viewership grew 133% yr over yr and greater than 23 million distinctive viewers tuned into the protection.
“Our sturdy partnership with the league has flourished, and we’re thrilled to solidify ION’s standing because the premier Friday night time vacation spot for WNBA motion for years to return,” mentioned Scripps CEO Adam Symson within the launch.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert mentioned the partnership with Scripps has helped the league broaden its attain and visibility.
“This new multi-year settlement displays the rising pleasure surrounding the league and the rising demand for WNBA video games,” she added.
The league signed an 11-year media rights cope with Disney, Amazon and Comcast-owned NBCUniversal final July as a part of the NBA’s media rights negotiation. The WNBA’s portion of the deal is valued at about $200 million per yr, CNBC beforehand reported.
— CNBC’s Lillian Rizzo contributed to this report.
Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the dad or mum firm of CNBC.