Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League Inks Multi-Year Deal with TNT Sports
In a significant development for women’s basketball, the newly formed Unrivaled three-on-three league has secured a multi-year exclusive media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports, airing games on TNT, truTV, and the streaming platform Max. This strategic partnership comes amidst a surge in popularity for women’s sports, capitalizing on the heightened interest generated by the WNBA’s recent successful season and the star power of players like Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, whose playoff performance significantly contributed to the WNBA expanding its season format. This deal not only provides Unrivaled with a strong broadcast platform but also demonstrates the growing investment opportunities in women’s professional sports, highlighting the financial returns from aligning with a league that places player equity at the forefront and offers record high average salaries.
Key Takeaways:
- Unrivaled, a new women’s professional three-on-three basketball league, signs an exclusive, multi-year media rights deal with TNT Sports.
- The deal includes broadcasting on TNT, truTV, and Max, ensuring wide reach and visibility for the league.
- Unrivaled’s innovative format and lucrative player contracts aim to disrupt the women’s sports landscape by offering the highest average salary in women’s pro sports history.
- The partnership signifies Warner Bros. Discovery’s strategic investment in women’s basketball amid the ongoing NBA media rights battle and the desire to maintain a strong basketball presence on its platforms.
- The deal underscores the rising popularity of women’s basketball fueled by increased WNBA viewership and attendance, and the success of star players.
Unrivaled’s Strategic Partnership with TNT Sports
The agreement between Unrivaled and TNT Sports marks a significant step for both entities. For Unrivaled, securing such a prominent broadcaster provides unprecedented exposure and reinforces its commitment to building a sustainable league with strong financial backing. The deal includes over 45 primetime regular season matchups across TNT’s platforms, including two games per week on TNT (Mondays and Fridays) and additional broadcasts on truTV on Saturdays. This consistent programming schedule aims to cultivate a loyal fanbase and establish Unrivaled as a major player in the women’s sports scene. The league’s co-founders, WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, have played key roles in securing this partnership and building Unrivaled’s foundation. The deal also includes showcasing highlights and additional content through other TNT channels like Bleacher Report and House of Highlights, maximizing Unrivaled’s brand exposure.
Unrivaled’s Unique Approach
Unrivaled distinguishes itself through its three-on-three format, which provides a faster-paced and more accessible game for fans. Importantly, the league operates during the WNBA offseason, permitting players to compete without conflicts, providing an alternative avenue for income generation. The league’s promise involves providing player equity, establishing substantial contract opportunities, and aiming for the highest average salary in women’s professional sports history. This combination of format and financial incentives underscores Unrivaled’s commitment to player empowerment and financial stability, unlike many traditional league structures.
TNT’s Strategic Reasons
For TNT Sports, the Unrivaled deal presents potentially lucrative prospects, especially in light of the current legal dispute between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery over NBA media rights. The NBA’s recent multi-billion dollar deal with Amazon, ESPN and NBCUniversal marked the end of a long-standing relationship with TNT. While Warner Bros. Discovery is currently suing the NBA, this deal with Unrivaled ensures TNT will retain a significant basketball presence on its platform, should the suit fail. “I think consistency is key for us. If you build a consistent home, the fans know where to go,” stated Alex Bazzell, Unrivaled president. “The second side of this is you want to partner with someone who wants to tell the story outside of the games and help push that forward.” He added that leveraging Bleacher Report and House of Highlights adds significant value to the partnership.
Significant Investor Lineup and Financial Backing
The backing provided by investors plays a significant role in Unrivaled’s success. The current investor lineup includes several influential media executives, along with notable athletes and venture capital firms. Key investors such as former ESPN President John Skipper and former Turner President David Levy brought valuable experience to the table and contributed to the discussions with TNT for media rights. Former Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff, ex NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, and venture capital firm led by recently retired US Women’s National Soccer Team captain Alex Morgan adds to the impressive list of investors.
TNT’s Investment and Future Plans
TNT Sports’ undisclosed financial investment reinforces their commitment to Unrivaled, further underscoring the potential they see in the women’s basketball league. This investment aligns with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s reported interest in securing sports deals that include intellectual property ownership. This strategy allows TNT to have greater ownership of the content and monetize it more strategically. With expected future funding rounds, Unrivaled’s financial stability is secured further. The partnership explicitly states the league will enjoy sustained stability, along with its players and stakeholders, through at least 2028.
The Rise of Women’s Basketball and the WNBA’s Impact
The success of the WNBA this year has undoubtedly fueled the growth in interest in women’s basketball. The addition of rookie stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese significantly boosted regular season attendance and viewership numbers, carrying over into the impressive playoff viewership. This heightened interest led to the WNBA’s most recent media rights deal valued at $2.2 billion for 11 seasons, a testament to the league’s growing market value. The WNBA’s recent success, coupled with the increased attention and resulting expansion of its playoffs to seven games next year, from five, clearly demonstrates that the women’s professional basketball market is lucrative, and potentially, significantly underserved. The Unrivaled league aims to capitalize on this momentum and further enrich the landscape of women’s basketball.
Conclusion
The Unrivaled league’s partnership with TNT Sports represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of women’s professional basketball. It’s a strategic alliance that brings together financial power, substantial media reach, a unique game format, and a commitment to player empowerment. The success of the deal is not only a reflection of the growing popularity of women’s sports but also a bold statement about investment opportunities in the sector. More significantly, however, it sets a new standard for how women’s leagues can be structured by placing the players’ interests and compensation at the forefront.
