The WNBA is trending up in every way. More fans, bigger crowds, and way more eyes on the game than ever before. The Caitlin Clark effect has played a huge role in that, and the new CBA just adds to the sense that this growth isn’t slowing down anytime soon.  According to Sportico, the WNBA currently has the highest value-to-revenue multiplier among major leagues. That’s actually higher than what you see in leagues like the NBA and the NFL, which says a lot about where the league is headed and how much growth people are betting on.

In 2024, the NBA secured a massive 11-year, $77 billion media rights deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, moving on from TNT in the process. This wasn’t just an NBA move. A key part of that deal was built with the WNBA in mind. But what many don’t realize is that the money coming into the league now is bigger than what the entire league was worth just a few years ago.

Well, the deal is worth about $2.2 billion in total, which means around $200 million per year starting from 2026. Now, you know the kind of visibility this will bring to the league. On top of it, this deal might become even larger in the future, possibly reaching close to $3 billion if the league adds more partnerships later.

But what’s interesting is that this is more than their valuation back in 2022, when they raised $75 million. The league was valued at $400 million pre-money and $475 million post-money as per Sportico. This marks a 59% surge, as they have now reached a point where their deal is worth $2.2 billion.

Under this deal, the WNBA gets a lot more TV coverage than before. The three big partners are Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon, who will together show more than 125 WNBA games every season, including regular-season games and playoff games. This means fans can watch more matches on TV and streaming platforms.

Disney shows at least 25 regular-season games on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2, and also streams games online. NBCUniversal shows at least 50 games on NBC, USA Network, and Peacock. Amazon Prime Video shows at least 30 games. Because of all these platforms, the WNBA reaches a much bigger audience across both TV and streaming services.

For the playoffs, Disney will show two first-round playoff series each year, while NBCUniversal and Amazon each will show one series. In the semifinals and Finals, the coverage is rotated between the networks so all three get important games. This is also a major jump from their previous deal, which was signed in 2013 and ran from 2013 to 2025. Under this agreement, the WNBA earned about $60 million per year in total from all its broadcast partners. These partners included ESPN/Disney, CBS, Amazon, and ION.

Even though these were big networks, the deal had limits. It covered fewer games, and most of them were not in prime-time slots, so the league had less TV visibility and less exposure overall. ESPN was the biggest contributor in this deal, paying around $40 million per year on its own.

Now, when you compare this with today’s situation, the difference is massive. The league has moved from a $60 million-per-year deal with limited coverage to a billion-dollar-level media agreement and 6x more earnings.

However, the best part about the deal is that it includes an important “good faith” look-in clause. This means the contract is not fully fixed for all 11 years. After the 2028 season, the league and broadcasters will review the agreement. If the WNBA continues to grow faster than expected in viewership and popularity, the networks may have to increase how much they pay. This protects the league from being locked into a deal that becomes too cheap compared to its real value.

But the surge doesn’t just stop here. The WNBA is making another major deal to make sure their fans get the best experience.

WNBA is getting hooked with another major TV deal

The WNBA is getting a major new TV deal that will help even more people watch its games. USA Network, through a company called Versant, has signed a new agreement that runs until 2036. Under this deal, the channel will show at least 50 WNBA games every year starting in 2026. It will also broadcast selected playoff games and some WNBA Finals games, making the league more visible during its biggest moments.

From 2026, USA Network will regularly show WNBA games in prime-time and will show doubleheader games on Wednesday nights. Which means back-to-back games. This new deal adds even more strength to the WNBA’s already growing TV presence.

As they already have a big 11-year media agreement signed in 2024 with Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and NBCUniversal, which already gives it wide coverage on TV and streaming platforms. Honestly, this shows that the WNBA is no longer treated as a secondary league.

The USA Network clearly isn’t just showing games randomly, but they want the biggest stars and the most exciting matchups because that’s what gets viewers. That means the league’s top players are now getting the spotlight they deserve, and the games are being treated like prime entertainment.

At the same time, ION Network showing games every Friday night makes things even stronger. It basically means having a regular schedule to watch WNBA basketball every week, instead of hunting for it or only seeing it sometimes. Turns out the WNBA is no longer “hidden” on TV. It is becoming a weekly, prime-time sport across different channels.