The WNBA regular season is set to open with breakout star Caitlin Clark making her debut as point guard for the Indiana Fever. Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer for both men’s and women’s basketball, helped draw a record 18.9 million viewers to the Women’s March Madness National Championship game last month. She was drafted as the No.1 pick on April 15, leading 2.45 million viewers to tune in, surpassing the league’s previous high for a draft by 307%. The game will be streamed on Disney+, marking the service’s first live sports event.
Following Clark’s debut, Disney+ will also stream the Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces matchup. Disney reported nearly turning a profit in its streaming unit for the first time during its fiscal second quarter and has been increasingly leaning on sports streaming to drive viewership. ESPN is planning to launch a full direct-to-consumer streaming product in fall 2025 that will allow consumers to subscribe to ESPN without cable. Additionally, Disney is partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp to offer a sports streaming service expected to launch this fall.
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusive TV rights for NBA games are currently under negotiation. The WNBA’s existing media rights deal expires in 2025 and is reported to be worth roughly $60 million. WNBA Commissioner Engelbert said she expects that value to double when the rights are renegotiated. Patrick Rishe, director of the Sports Business Program at Washington University’s Olin Business School, believes the WNBA debut on Disney+ could be a “watershed moment for the league.” The choice to have the game on Disney+ is critical for the league’s key demographic of families and younger people, as younger fans often view sports through streaming platforms.
Rishe highlighted the importance of attracting younger fans to the WNBA and noted that streaming is how younger fans prefer to consume sports. The partnership with Disney+ could help the league reach a new audience and drive increased interest in the WNBA. The move towards sports streaming by entertainment giants like Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery reflects the changing landscape of media consumption and the importance of adapting to new technologies and platforms to engage with audiences. The shift towards direct-to-consumer streaming products demonstrates the industry’s recognition of the growing demand for more flexible and accessible ways to watch sports content.
