For many years, the WNBA has struggled to find the same sort of fanbase and popularity that the NBA enjoys.
This remains the case despite a growing amount of skill and talent in the league.
The WNBA has been working hard to expand its horizons and reach more people.
It announced a new deal on Thursday that will do just that.
The WNBA will air on Ion Television on Friday nights as part of a multi-year deal that they signed this month.
As noted by The Athletic, this gives the league another national television contract and will help them expand viewership and “build a consistent national window for its games.”
NEWS: The WNBA will air on Ion Television Friday nights as part of a multiyear contract signed this month.
This provides the WNBA with another national TV deal and allows it to build a consistent national window for its games. https://t.co/2LGIWZavqm
—The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 20, 2023
This is unquestionably great news for fans of the WNBA and could provide them with millions of new viewers.
That’s a huge W!
— How Hard Is It To Answer? (@AnswerThePole) April 20, 2023
The WNBA signing a deal with ION is another really great sign for the next media rights contract
—Joseph Zucker (@JosephZucker) April 20, 2023
As mentioned by Tyler Byrum, the league will now air games on various platforms such as ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, and others.
The number of fans watching will still pale in comparison to the NBA but more people will certainly be watching.
So WNBA games are now going to be on:
-ESPN/ ESPN2/ ABC
-CBS/ CBSSN/ Paramount+
-NBATV
-Amazon Prime
-Facebook Watch
-ION—Tyler Byrum (@theTylerByrum) April 20, 2023
If you haven’t heard of Ion Television before, you’re not alone.
The network isn’t very well known and mostly airs reruns of old shows, such as Hawaii Five-O.
This means that the WNBA will likely be the network’s biggest draw, and could grow within the channel and eventually take up more of its lineup.
I have checked Ion’s Friday Night schedule and it looks like the WNBA will be replacing a lot of Hawaii Five-O. https://t.co/k2dk5FFN3f pic.twitter.com/1ZVqCSsT91
— Snap’ja Wilson🖤🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇺🇦 (@snapwilson) April 20, 2023
It’ll be some time before the WNBA is recognized in the ways it deserves.
But the new deal with Ion means that the league is slowly but surely growing and that is definitely a very good thing for fans of basketball.
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