Revisiting 5 Big Wins for WNBA

1. New Media Rights Deal

The WNBA just got another big deal to show games on TV. USA Network, through Versant, struck a new rights agreement running through 2036 that includes at least 50 games annually, plus select playoff and Finals coverage beginning in 2026. Starting in 2026, the network will show doubleheaders on Wednesday nights, playoff games, and some Finals games. The league already has a lot of great media, and this partnership makes it even stronger. In 2024, the league agreed to an 11-year national package with Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and NBCUniversal valued at about $200 million per year (per reporting).

Matt Hong, president of sports for Versant, talked about the momentum: “We’re very happy to extend our multi-year partnership with the WNBA. All season long, WNBA fans will watch games on USA Network. Our marquee Wednesday night doubleheaders will show off the league’s star power and build up to the intensity of the WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals.

With ION Network’s Friday night games and this new deal with USA Network, the WNBA is taking over primetime TV. The league and players are also negotiating a new CBA, with the current agreement set to expire at the end of October 2025.

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2. The Enormous Increase in Attendance

The WNBA was one of the biggest sports leagues in 2025, which broke attendance records thanks to some amazing numbers. The league set up fifteen games that needed to be moved to bigger places because of the unexpected demand. These fifteen games brought in 236,670 guests. The WNBA had almost 135,000 more fans, which is like adding a whole new 14th team to the league. The last number? A shocking 3.15 million people paid to attend, which is a 34% increase from the previous season’s numbers. The games that were moved made up only 5% of the regular season, but they were very important. The demand pushed several teams to move games into larger NBA arenas to meet ticket interest.

Not only is the number of seats affected by this situation. The league’s partners got a lot of business because of the publicity that these bigger places brought. For example, the Dream moved a Fever game that was supposed to be played in their small Gateway Center Arena to the huge State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. The average number of people who came to each game was 11,148, which is the highest ever. This shows that women’s basketball is not just a fad; it’s a real movement that is growing.

3. More teams and a bigger market

The WNBA just made a big announcement: By 2030, the league is set to reach 18 teams. Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia are joining Portland and Toronto, two teams that are already set to start next season. Golden State’s Valkyries just finished their first season. This is a big deal because the league hasn’t grown since 2008. What made this move happen? Caitlin Clark’s rise to fame around the world, the rise of women’s college basketball, and a talent pool that keeps getting bigger around the world. The league is on a wave that it has never been on before.

The WNBA is going through a lot of changes right now. They are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with players and welcoming six new franchises. This isn’t just about adding teams; it’s about making women’s basketball a real, successful business in professional sports.

4. Sponsorship Records Shatter

The WNBA starts 2025 with more corporate support than ever before. Five new sponsors have joined the league, bringing the total number of official partners to an incredible 46. What is behind this rise in sponsorships? Brands are sick of missing out. The WNBA is the most popular sponsorship space in sports right now because of national TV deals, packed arenas in big markets like Golden State, and superstars who are famous all over the world. Companies aren’t just giving the league money anymore; they’re making specific women’s sports investment plans that are based on WNBA partnerships.

There is proof all over the place. In the last year alone, ten brands signed deals, including new ones like Booking.com, BetMGM, Coach, and Everworth. CarMax is back for the third year in a row as the presenting sponsor for the opening weekend, showing how committed it is to the league.

5. Franchise valuations and financial stability

The WNBA just blew everyone’s mind with a valuation explosion that is hard to believe. All the teams are now worth nine figures, and the whole league is at the top of the list for the most valuable women’s sports franchises in the world. Sportico says that the value of the 13 WNBA teams went up by an average of 180% in just one year. This is more than “double the previous biggest year-over-year gain for a major sports league.” That is a huge jump. The league is worth $3.5 billion, and each team is worth an average of $269 million, up from $96 million in 2024.

The only other explosion like this happened in 2014, when Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers, and the NBA went up. Even though they just came out this season, Golden State’s new Valkyries are already worth $500 million, showing that star power and market size matter right away. The defending champion New York Liberty came in second with a 222% increase to $420 million, the second-largest gain in the league.