The landscape of women’s basketball is about to change in a big way. On September 30, 2025, the WNBA and Versant, the soon-to-be independent media powerhouse spun off from NBCUniversal, announced a landmark 11-year media rights agreement that will see USA Network become a premier destination for WNBA action from the 2026 season through 2036. This deal, which expands upon a previous 2024 agreement, is poised to significantly boost the league’s visibility and accessibility, offering fans more opportunities than ever to catch their favorite teams and stars on national television.
Under the new pact, USA Network will air at least 50 WNBA games each year, including regular season contests, select playoff showdowns, and portions of the WNBA Finals in certain years. The heart of the coverage will be Wednesday night doubleheaders—marquee matchups that promise to showcase the best of the league every week. Each broadcast night will feature dedicated pre-game and post-game studio programming, a move designed to deepen fan engagement and provide richer context around the games and the athletes.
"Partnering with Versant and USA Network marks another significant milestone for the WNBA’s continued growth," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. "As demand for women’s basketball continues to rise, partnerships like this expand the visibility and accessibility of our game. By establishing a weekly primetime destination for fans, this agreement will showcase the excitement of the WNBA to more households than ever before and further elevate the incredible athletes in this league."
The deal arrives at a time of remarkable momentum for the WNBA. Now in its 29th season, the league is experiencing record-breaking television viewership, surging attendance, booming merchandise sales, and skyrocketing team valuations. Through the first 15 games of the 2025 playoffs, ESPN and ABC have averaged 1 million viewers per game—a two percent increase over 2024 and a staggering 164 percent jump from 2023. The semifinals have been especially electric, averaging 1.3 million viewers for the first four games, up 59 percent from last year. It’s clear: the appetite for women’s basketball is growing, and networks are taking notice.
Versant’s commitment to women’s sports extends beyond basketball. The company has been on a sports rights acquisition spree, recently signing a multi-year agreement with League One Volleyball to broadcast primetime matches on USA Network beginning in January 2026. Versant also holds rights to the LPGA Tour, U.S. Golf Association events, Premier League soccer, WWE, NASCAR, Atlantic 10 college basketball, and even the Olympics. "We have a sort of nascent women’s sports property strategy that we are employing," Matt Hong, Versant’s president of sports, told CNBC last month. The company’s approach is clear: invest in sports properties with high growth trajectories, especially those that help diversify ad sales and drive distribution.
"We’re incredibly proud to expand our multi-year partnership with the WNBA," Hong stated. "USA Network will be a destination for WNBA viewers all season long, as we showcase the star power across the league in our marquee Wednesday night doubleheaders and build toward the intensity of the WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals." The network plans to field its own dedicated production team and on-air talent for these broadcasts, signaling a serious investment in both the product and its presentation. Production details, including the studio commentary teams, will be announced in the coming months.
The journey to this new deal has been complex. In July 2024, the WNBA announced an 11-year media rights package with Disney, NBC, and Amazon, valued at about $200 million per year. That agreement included a slate of games on NBCUniversal’s USA Network. However, plans soon emerged for NBCU to spin off its cable assets, including USA Network, into a separate entity—Versant. With the spinoff expected to finalize by the end of 2025, Versant has now inked its own direct deal with the WNBA, ensuring continuity and even expansion of WNBA coverage on USA Network. In years when Versant channels have the rights to the WNBA Finals, those marquee games will be divided between USA Network and NBC, further broadening the league’s national exposure.
Versant’s bet on women’s sports comes as linear TV viewership faces industry-wide declines. By doubling down on properties like the WNBA, the company aims to tap into passionate, growing fanbases and create appointment viewing in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. "Not all women’s sports are the same, but where there is some pattern recognition is that when our team looks at sports or leagues with high growth trajectories, like we spoke about with LOVB, quite a few of the sports in the leagues that we identify with high growth potential happen to be women’s sports," Hong told The Hollywood Reporter.
For the WNBA, the timing could not be better. Alongside the Versant deal, the league has secured a multi-year agreement with Scripps’ Ion to air Friday night games, further expanding its reach. The 2024 media rights package with Disney, NBC, and Amazon already represented a major leap in value and exposure, but the addition of Versant’s USA Network as a flagship partner cements the WNBA’s place as a must-watch property in the American sports calendar.
Financial terms of the new Versant deal were not disclosed, but industry sources suggest that Versant is paying more in total than NBCU did as part of the 2024 agreement, especially when factoring in the expanded inventory of games. The network’s investment underscores a growing recognition of the commercial and cultural value of women’s sports—a trend that shows no sign of slowing down.
With the new agreement, fans can expect a consistent, high-quality viewing experience every Wednesday night during the WNBA season, complete with in-depth analysis, highlights, and behind-the-scenes access. The league has not yet announced its 2026 schedule, nor has USA Network revealed its on-air teams, but anticipation is already building. And with Versant’s broader commitment to elevating women’s sports, the WNBA is set to reach new heights in the coming decade.
As the 2025 playoffs continue to capture the imagination of basketball fans across the country, the future of the WNBA on television looks brighter than ever. With USA Network poised to become a weekly primetime destination for women’s basketball, the league’s stars will soon shine on an even bigger stage—bringing the excitement, drama, and athleticism of the WNBA to more households nationwide. Stay tuned: the next chapter in women’s basketball is just getting started.
