One of the biggest influences on the future of the WNBA appears close to being resolved: The framework for its new media rights deals is in place. The league is set to bring in approximately $2.2 billion over 11 years as part of the NBA's recently completed deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon, a person with knowledge of the numbers confirmed to The Washington Post on Wednesday. The league's current media rights deals were set to expire after the 2025 season, and the NBA, which owns about 60 percent of the WNBA, negotiated the new deals, which are not yet official. The WNBA's current media rights were valued at about $60 million per year, and the new structure would be in the annual range of $200 million. And that's what you want in a league because that's what makes people watch, which drives the value of whether it's your media rights, your corporate partnerships or your valuation of your franchises."

Source: Washington Post July 18, 2024 02:40 UTC