WNBA reaches media rights deal to air games on ION

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ION will continue to air WNBA regular-season games on Friday nights after the league and Scripps reached a multi-year media rights deal.

Terms of the deal — which will take effect for the 2026 season — were not disclosed.

“This new multi-year agreement reflects the growing excitement surrounding the league and the rising demand for WNBA games,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “Through Scripps’ ION Network Friday Night doubleheaders, we will continue to showcase the world-class talent of WNBA athletes to even more fans nationwide.”

ION began airing WNBA game on Friday nights in 2023, with the initial three-year agreement between ION reportedly worth $13 million annually.

In its opening Friday this season, former UConn star Paige Bueckers’ debut with the Dallas Wings drew an average of 639,000 viewers, and the league debut of the Golden State Valkyries drew an average of 581,000 viewers, per The Athletic.

The May 30 matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun averaged 851,000 viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game without Caitlin Clark in the network’s history, according to SportsMediaWatch. As of the end of May, ION has seen year-over-year average viewership increase 39 percent to average 550,000, per SMW.

The WNBA also broadcasts games on CBS and has an 11-year media rights package with Disney, NBC and Amazon that takes effect next season worth an average of $200 million a year.

Members of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) were reportedly not included in the negotiations with Scripps, according to Front Office Sports.

Commissioner Engelbert had previously expressed support for the players’ union being represented at the table for such discussions, which a union source acknowledged was “unprecedented” but said the WNBPA is “hopeful” can happen in future negotiations, according to Front Office Sports.

–Field Level Media