Portland’s new WNBA team is already making major business moves before even stepping on the court, securing a game-changing media deal with a nearly half-billion-dollar broadcast giant. This partnership, announced alongside their NWSL counterparts, aims to set a new financial and visibility standard for women’s sports in the region.

The Portland Fire and NWSL’s Portland Thorns announced a groundbreaking, multi-year media partnership establishing Gray Media’s KPDX (FOX 12 Plus) as the regional broadcast home for the two professional women’s sports teams in Portland.

Moreover, the Portland Fire will add a direct-to-consumer opportunity through a new partnership with Kiswe, also providing fan access to live games, original programming, and in-depth team storytelling on a newly-branded Portland Fire streaming platform. Kiswe has shared the news on their official Twitter handle.

This media deal will, in fact, be very beneficial for Portland, as Gray Media is a multi-million-dollar enterprise with a value of $459.76 million as of February 23, 2026. And that would simply bolster their economic standing on a whole new level.

Speaking of Gray Media, they have their headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. They are the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 114 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households. Apart from this, Gray also holds media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios, so this collaboration can do wonders for the ‘new’ team of the WNBA.

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Portland Fire’s Return To The WNBA

While Portland Fire is making a sort of comeback to the league, its journey back is nothing short of intriguing. The team was originally formed in 2000 and folded in 2002 after three seasons, and many probably wouldn’t even know this was the same city that also housed another professional women’s basketball team.

The Portland Powers. Does the name ring a bell? They were part of the American Basketball League (ABL) and played in the city from 1996 until the league disbanded in 1998. The team played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which had a capacity of roughly 10,000. Greg Bruce (1996) and Lin Dunn (1997–98) served as their coaches, but unfortunately, they didn’t have a long run.

Oregon Live recently caught up with former team member Katy Steding, who savoured every moment of playing with the club, as it allowed her to stay home (Outside Lake Oswego) and also play professional basketball.

It also makes Steding hopeful that other young girls will see the reborn Fire in action when the team makes its debut in 2026, and that would, in turn, inspire them to follow in its footsteps.

“There’s a huge gain for young women who find players to look up to and model themselves after,” Steding, who is currently an assistant coach at Stanford, told the outlet.

But this entire arrangement hinges on the new CBA deal. In fact, everyone right now is looking for answers to get the CBA deal going. The players and the league have yet to sign a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which has put Portland Fire, along with Toronto Tempo, into stagnation.

Nothing can be done beyond this point, as both these teams, without the CBA deal, are unable to host expansion drafts, which is imperative for putting together the team rosters. Even the Gray media deal can face the consequences stemming from the severity of the delay, and that would mean a great loss to business.