May 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is defended by Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

There have been many firsts for the WNBA over the past 12 months, and the league added another this week when it announced fans will be able to watch this year’s full preseason slate on streaming and television.

All 15 games will be available to WNBA fans nationally for the first time.

The action begins this Friday with a doubleheader on ION. In the debut of No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, the Dallas Wings will host the Las Vegas Aces on the Notre Dame campus. The second game of the night will see the Chicago Sky and young Brazilian center Kamilla Cardoso face off against the Brazilian women’s national team.

The following night, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever play on NBA TV. The Fever will host the Brazilian team Sunday on an ESPN network.

The rest of the preseason will be available to stream on the WNBA app under a free WNBA League Pass preview.

For years, WNBA games have been difficult to find. Preseason was mostly only available to watch on local television, if at all.

Now, the league is consolidating those broadcasts and bringing in its national TV partners to make the preseason available to fans.

“We’ve seen the demand for WNBA content grow exponentially and we are meeting that demand by working with our broadcast partners and our teams to make a significant investment by making all 15 preseason games available to WNBA fans,” said WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison in a press release.

Add in marquee games on college campuses and against opposing national teams, and the league is clearly seizing on the opportunity of the extra spring basketball.

About Brendon Kleen

Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.