The sands of modern sports media continue to shift in unpredictable ways. And on Wednesday, we got word that the WNBA Finals could be in for an unexpected new media partner come 2026.
Next season, the WNBA begins a new set of media rights deals tied to the NBA’s new agreements which kick in next month. As part of those new deals, rights for the WNBA Finals will rotate among the three NBA/WNBA broadcast partners: NBC, ESPN, and Amazon.
NBC is in line to get the first crack at the WNBA Finals under the new deal, but with the network set to spinoff the majority of its cable assets into a new venture, Versant, the fate of those Finals has been couched in uncertainty. Beginning this season, the WNBA is moving from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven series for the Finals. That, of course, creates more inventory for the networks.
But even with the tremendous growth the WNBA has seen in recent years, it would still be a big ask for a broadcast network like NBC to set aside seven nights of programming for the league. Enter: Versant.
By year-end, Versant will house channels like USA Network, Golf Channel, and CNBC. As part of the NBA/WNBA media deals signed last year but before the Versant launch was announced, USA Network was to be awarded a package of WNBA games.
According to a new report by Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, speaking with the NBA’s VP of broadcast scheduling Gene Li, the league is “freshening up the deal terms,” Li said, seemingly to include Versant. Asked about next year’s WNBA Finals series, Li said that specific aspect of the deal is “also still being finalized in terms of the split between NBCU and Versant.”
While the two sides are clearly still hammering out the details of a new arrangement, and nothing will be finalized until they do, reading between the lines would suggest that there’s a strong possibility some WNBA Finals games end up on the Versant-owned USA Network next year.
If so, the arrangement would be a coup for the new spinoff entity, which is making a big push for live sports rights.
The WNBA Finals have proven to be incredibly valuable inventory. Last year’s Finals series set a viewership record for ESPN, notching 2.15 million viewers for a title-deciding Game 5. The feat was made even more impressive considering the game went up directly against NFL competition. And so far this season, WNBA viewership has shown no signs of slowing down.
A Versant spokesperson did not respond to request for comment.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.