WNBA continues to move into the future, reset and strengthen its growing brand with new CBS Sports Network TV deal.
The Women’s National Basketball Association and CBS Sports announced a multi-year partnership today, in which CBS Sports Network will televise 40 live WNBA games beginning this season.
Breaking news! 🚨
WNBA and @CBSSports announce multi-year television partnership! 📺
Full release: https://t.co/1vT27kwzPr pic.twitter.com/oqkKdSL4Wf
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 22, 2019
CBS Sports Network’s WNBA deal comes on the heel of its game-saving deal with Ice Cube’s Big3 League earlier this month. The exploding 3-0n-3 pro league was meticulously looking for the right TV home after its deal with FOX Sports ended in 2018.
CBS has maintained its lofty standing in the crowded sports TV market, despite the onslaught of cable companies and team-owned networks. CBS Sports Network awards CBS firm footing among the sports cable giants as well. Adding popular niche sports like women’s hoops and 3-0n-3 basketball featuring ex-NBA ballers allows CBS to coral a market that is still largely untapped by most sports media conglomerates.
You no longer have to scour the dial for WNBA action. With CBS’ intervention, WNBA junkies will have their fill of action and be able to better follow the performances of their favorite superstars. The WNBA now has consistent primetime matchups featuring the league’s brightest stars, which naturally leads to more popularity and easier promotion of its marquee players.
CBS Sports Network will feature national coverage of WNBA games in primetime and on weekends, beginning on Saturday, May 25 (8:00 PM, ET), when the Minnesota Lynx host the Chicago Sky.
The WNBA is nearly DOUBLING its national TV exposure with a multi-year deal with CBS Sports. 🔥
Full 2019 CBS Sports Network schedule ➡️ https://t.co/GXGf2nbj1A pic.twitter.com/jw20CZXWvm
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 22, 2019
Record 11-time All-Star Sue Bird and the defending WNBA Champion Seattle Storm make six appearances on CBS Sports Network this season, including a WNBA Finals rematch against former league MVP Elena Delle Donne and the Washington Mystics on Friday, June 14.
“Through our partnership with CBS Sports Network, the WNBA is joining an elite lineup of premium sports programming,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We thank CBS Sports for making such a meaningful commitment to women’s basketball and for providing another platform to showcase the world-class athletes of the WNBA.”
“We are truly excited to partner with the WNBA, bringing the country’s premier women’s sports league to CBS Sports Network. This partnership is one of the biggest and most impactful women’s sports programming arrangements ever at CBS Sports, offering national exposure of 40 games per year,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “This agreement provides great live content throughout the summer in primetime and on weekends, and aligns two great brands in the WNBA and CBS Sports. We look forward to working with the WNBA for many years to come.”
The 2019 WNBA season, entering its 23rd season, tips off Friday, May 24, and features 12 teams vying for a championship.
The deal with CBS is just another extension of the WNBA’s growth and the new direction that the league has decided to take, where it is totally embracing its diversity and putting the unique brilliance of its players on full display.
The NBA has already introduced a new logo and a marquee partnership with AT&T. Overall, the WNBA is planning for the future, cultivating a next generation of fans, introducing a new logo and resetting the brand.
WNBA Partners With AT&T, Unveils New Logo | The Shadow League : The Shadow League https://t.co/FpnMdPbXgH
— LA MAQUINA DE SOMBRAS (@FANalyst1) April 9, 2019
With a new look, new voice and a whole new approach to storytelling, the WNBA is elevating not just the game but also the social and pop culture movements around it. The League says its “making space for our game, our players and our fans to shine and show the world who we really are – bad ass ballers and dynamic women who challenge convention and shape culture.”
“The WNBA is reasserting itself as a bold, progressive league that stands for the power of women,” said WNBA COO Christy Hedgpeth. “This new voice will amplify our mission of empowerment and inspiration and will magnify what makes our league exceptional – the strength, diversity and multi-dimensionality of the women of the W.”
The CBS Sports Network will now be the driving media force and promotional tool behind the WNBA’s new bold, initiatives.
