WNBA Expands TV Coverage with Historic Broadcast Schedule
In a historic first, the WNBA announced Monday that multiple preseason games will air nationally, marking a significant shift in how the league is showcased and consumed. Long treated like a behind-the-scenes scrimmage, the preseason is now stepping into the spotlight.
And that’s just the start.
This season, 14 of the league’s 15 preseason matchups will stream on WNBA League Pass, with the lone outlier getting an exclusive ESPN slot. In short: for the first time ever, WNBA fans can catch the entire preseason slate without having to trawl through grainy cell phone footage or wait for highlight clips to hit Twitter. It’s another welcome notch in the league’s upward trajectory.
“We’ve seen the demand for WNBA content grow exponentially,” WNBA chief growth officer Colie Edison said in a statement. “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.”
In other words, the appetite is real, and the league is finally serving a full-course meal.
The spotlight doesn’t dim after preseason, either. In the newly expanded 44-game regular season, ABC will air 13 games—its highest total to date. ION, a relative newcomer, is going all in with 50 broadcasts, while CBS is carving its name into the calendar with two primetime network games on June 7 and August 9, featuring Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky in what’s shaping up to be a ratings goldmine.
Once upon a time, WNBA fans were lucky to get a Sunday afternoon slot or a rerun on regional sports networks.
Indeed, the league’s broadcast blueprint is no longer an afterthought. It’s a strategy. It’s momentum. And more than anything, it’s what happens when a product with talent, storylines, and fan fervor finally gets the visibility it deserves.
Tune in now, or risk missing out on history in real time.
The preseason action tips off on Friday, May 2, with an ION doubleheader between the Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces, featuring the debut of No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers.
