UK pay-TV broadcaster TNT Sports (owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery media and entertainment heavyweight) will provide coverage of US women’s basketball’s WNBA during the upcoming 2024 season.
A multi-year media rights deal in the UK and Ireland between the WNBA and TNT Sports has been unveiled today, with subscribers able to watch at least 16 regular-season games through that network during the partnership. These games will also be covered by discovery+, the WBD over-the-top streaming platform.
TNT Sports will, during the regular season, cover weekend WNBA fixtures during primetime UK slots. As well as regular-season action, the network will also air select games from the playoffs, finals, in addition to the WNBA All-Star Game.
This deal ties in with the agreement between TNT Sports and the men’s NBA, also a multi-year collaboration, announced in October.
During the 2023 WNBA campaign, live WNBA action was shown in the UK and Ireland by TNT Sports’ rival, Sky Sports.
Trojan Paillot, senior vice president for sports rights and acquisitions and syndication at WBD Sports Europe, has said: “We are delighted to show the elite athletes that star in the WNBA beginning with the 2024 season, strengthening our women’s sport offering in the UK and Ireland …
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“The opportunity to broadcast the WNBA is another step to reflecting the diversity of our audience.”
The WNBA’s chief growth officer, Colie Edison, added: “We are thrilled to collaborate with TNT Sports to bring the excitement of the WNBA to fans in the UK and Ireland. There is incredible momentum around women’s basketball in the region, and now fans will be able to more easily follow their favorite WNBA teams and players throughout the season.”
Late last week, the WNBA unveiled a multi-year near-global rights extension with the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.
The deal covers the US, as well as the rest of the globe outside the following territories – China, Japan, the UK, Italy, Spain, Finland, and Germany.
The initial tie-up between Prime Video and the WNBA first came in advance of the 2021 season.
The 2024 WNBA campaign gets underway on May 14, with regular-season action ending on September 19.
