The WNBA would receive about $200 million per year as part of the NBA's recently approved media rights deals, according to multiple reports. Even with an annual increase of around $140 million, the new number still concerns the executive director of the WNBA players' union.
Executive director Terri Jackson said in a statement Wednesday that the WNBA is being undervalued at $2.2 billion over 11 years.
"We have wondered for months how the NBA would value the WNBA in its media rights deal," Jackson said. "With a reportedly $75 billion deal on the table, the league is in control of its own destiny. More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA."
The WNBA's current media deal, which is valued at about $60 million per year, is set to expire after the 2025 season. The NBA, which owns about 60% of the WNBA, has negotiated the new deals.
The NBA's board of governors approved that league's next media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video at its meeting Tuesday, moving the league one giant step closer to finalizing the 11-year agreements that will be worth about $76 billion. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that the league was closing in on a new media rights deal but that other rights needed to be worked out with other partners and that the full deal was not yet finalized.
"We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation -- if initial reports are accurate or even close," Jackson said. "Neither the NBA nor the WNBA can deny that in the last few years, we have seen unprecedented growth across all metrics, the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand, and that the fans keep showing up. There is no excuse to undervalue the WNBA again."
The new revenue could greatly increase player salaries, which has been an issue for many years. Since the WNBA was founded in 1997, players have gone overseas to supplement their incomes. The top base salary this year is $242,000, with players potentially earning more than half a million through salary, marketing agreements and bonuses. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark makes $76,000 as the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Jackson feels the league could be undervalued with its popularity at an all-time high. The WNBA has had strong growth the past few seasons but really took off this year led by Clark and fellow rookie Angel Reese . The WNBA has had record attendance and viewership this year heading into the Olympic break.
The league currently has deals to broadcast games on CBS and the ION network as well as on ESPN and Amazon. The CBS and ION deals could be renewed after they expire, which would add more money to the overall media deal package. The ION deal is worth $13 million per year and is scheduled to end after next season. The WNBA has had games on Amazon Prime since 2021, including the annual Commissioner's Cup championship. The league is showing 21 games this season on the streaming service.
WNBA players are expected to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement after this season, which would end that deal after next year.
The 11-year rights deal was first reported by The Athletic.
Information from ESPN's Baxter Holmes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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