Season-opening rivalry video games between Caitlin Clarkâs Indiana Fever and Angel Reeseâs Chicago Sky, in addition to the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, will air nationally on ABC as a part of the communityâs rising slate. The video games highlighted the 2025 WNBA broadcast schedule the league launched on Thursday.
The Disney/ESPN household of networks will air 26 video games, another than it has in earlier seasons, and a brand new excessive of 13 will air on its conventional broadcast community, ABC. The earlier excessive was 9, which it tied a yr in the past. The totals embrace the summer seasonâs All-Star sport.
Clark and the Fever, who had been lively in free company signing veteran championship expertise, will play in 5 of these ABC video games and in three of eight video games airing on CBS. Two of the CBS Network video games are the primary WNBA regular-season video games to air in primetime on community tv, the league mentioned.
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May 17: vs. Sky, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
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May 24: vs. Liberty, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
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June 7: at Sky, 8 p.m. ET, CBS
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June 14: vs. Liberty, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
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July 13: vs. Wings, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
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July 27: at Sky, 2 p.m. ET, ABC
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Aug. 3: at Storm, 12 p.m. ET, ABC
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Aug. 9: vs. Sky, 8 p.m. ET, CBS
All 5 of the Feverâs contests in opposition to the Sky will air nationally on CBS, ABC and ION, which airs doubleheaders for appointment viewing on Friday nights. The linear community will air 50 video games, probably the most of any WNBA broadcast accomplice. The first assembly between Clark and the Dallas Wings, who maintain the No. 1 choose within the WNBA Draft and are projected to pick UConnâs Paige Bueckers, will probably be performed on ION on June 27.
In all, 41 of Indianaâs 44 video games will air nationally together with 10 on ABC/ESPN and eight on ION. Six completely different networks set viewership data airing Fever video games in Clarkâs rookie season. Three of these video games concerned the Sky with a peak of two.3 million on ESPN. Twenty-three WNBA video games surpassed 1 million views a yr in the past and 20 of them concerned the Fever. Opposing groups have already moved their video games in opposition to the Fever to bigger arenas to assist extra ticket gross sales.
It is the ultimate yr of the previous media rights deal. The WNBA, Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC got here to an 11-year deal value a reported $200 million a yr that can go into impact in 2026. The Commissionerâs Cup will air on Prime Video.
Liberty, Aces spotlight nationwide TV schedule
The Liberty and Aces, who mixed gained the previous three titles, will function prominently on nationwide TV. The reigning champion Liberty, whoâre able to repeat, will probably be in 32 video games. The Aces, after including Jewell Loyd in a commerce that despatched Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles, will seem in 33 nationally televised or streamed video games. All three of their rematches (May 17, July 8, Aug. 13) will air on ABC or ESPN.
The 2024 Finals rematches between the Liberty and Minnesota Lynx that went a full 5 video games will obtain nationwide remedy. Their 4 video games will air as soon as every on ESPN, ABC, CBS and NBA TV.
Bueckers, Valkyries debuts
The Wings host Finals runner-up Minnesota on opening night time in what might be Bueckers debut. The sport will air on ION. Dallas completed eleventh of 12 groups and can play largely on ION and NBA TV. In addition to its July sport at Indiana airing on ABC, the Wings will play on ABC once more in August when it faces the Aces.
The Golden State Valkyries, the primary growth group for the reason that Dream in 2008, will make their debut on ION in the course of the three-game opening night time. Golden State will host Los Angeles. They host the Aces on ABC in June and play on the Aces on CBS the next month.
