TNT Sports, a pay television sports channel, has announced a multi-year broadcast agreement with the women’s professional basketball league in North America, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The pact guarantees the UK and Irish viewers access to at least 16 regular-season games per year, which will be aired live on both TNT Sports and Discovery+.
This exciting partnership extends beyond the regular season, encompassing select playoff games, the Finals, and the All-Star Game.
The pay-TV sports channel will broadcast primetime WNBA action. During the regular season, the broadcaster will schedule games for convenient weekend slots, ensuring optimal viewing for the UK audiences.
To complement live game coverage, the sports channel is committed to keeping fans engaged throughout the season. Its digital and social platforms will buzz with activity, offering weekly WNBA highlights and clips, ensuring fans never miss any of the key moments, the gravity-defying dunks, or the buzzer-beating game-winners that make the WNBA such a thrilling league to follow.
Trojan Paillot, SVP Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication, Warner Bros. Discovery Europe, 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 which already includes Premiership Women’s Rugby, UEFA Women’s Champions League football, and Women’s UFC. The opportunity to broadcast the WNBA is another step to reflecting the diversity of our audience, while at the same time complementing our current basketball rights such as the NBA.”
Colie Edison, Chief Growth Officer, WNBA, said, “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.”
TNT Sports is a major player in the world of sports broadcasting, with two distinct branches. In the United States, it’s a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, offering coverage of major leagues like the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Across the pond in the UK and Ireland, TNT Sports is a group of pay television channels that recently rebranded from BT Sport. The channel broadcasts a wide range of sports including the Premier League (PL), UEFA Champions League (UCL), and more.
This strategic partnership reflects TNT Sports’ dedication to expanding its women’s sports offerings. The WNBA deal complements its existing NBA broadcast agreement, solidifying its commitment to showcasing the best of professional basketball.
The WNBA is experiencing a wave of positive momentum. Its recent partnerships with La Crema, Glossier, and Dream11 highlight the growing interest in the league.
The WNBA Draft is set for April 15, and the regular season kicks off on May 14.