The WNBA’s recent success from a media standpoint can be largely attributed to its partnership with Scripps’ ION broadcast network, which began airing a package of Friday night games in 2023 as part of its foray into live sports. A year later, ION established itself as a premier destination for women’s sports by adding NWSL broadcasts on Saturday nights. It seems that ION aims to maintain this status moving forward; Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor recently shared the network’s future intentions regarding the WNBA while speaking with The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast.
“We are still in our original contract with [the WNBA] for the rights to Friday nights, but our long-term expectation is we are going to be the home for the WNBA across the entire country for every game on Fridays,” Lawlor stated. The network’s Friday night WNBA package has proven to be very successful, drawing over 1 million viewers for seven broadcasts last season, according to Sports Media Watch. Overall, the network’s WNBA telecasts averaged 670,000 viewers, marking a 133% increase compared to 2023, largely buoyed by Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever, which attracted an impressive 19 audiences of over 1 million viewers themselves.
Lawlor noted that while much of the WNBA’s media rights inventory is currently tied into the latest NBA deals, the league left Friday nights free, allowing ION to maintain its involvement. Given ION’s reach with its free-to-air broadcast model, continuing the partnership with the league seems logical. The data from last year supports the notion that fans are tuning into ION to catch WNBA games, and Lawlor expressed hope that a new deal could materialize during this WNBA season. As the league prepares for the upcoming season, the potential for an ION renewal will certainly be something to keep an eye on.
