TNT Sports and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) have announced a new collaboration that will allow fans in the UK and Ireland to watch at least 16 regular-season WNBA games each season on TNT Sports and discovery+. The broadcast will include live and on-demand coverage of games as the 12 teams compete for the WNBA Championship. The coverage will include primetime weekend games during the regular season, as well as select games from the WNBA Playoffs, Finals, and the annual All-Star Game. Fans will also have access to weekly highlights and clips on TNT Sports’ digital and social platforms to ensure they don’t miss any key moments throughout the season.
The partnership between TNT Sports and the WNBA aims to showcase the elite athletes of the league to a broader audience, reflecting the diversity of their viewers. This collaboration comes as part of TNT Sports’ broader commitment to women’s sports, adding to their existing coverage of Premiership Women’s Rugby, UEFA Women’s Champions League football, and Women’s UFC. The addition of WNBA games to their lineup complements their current basketball rights, including coverage of the NBA, and provides fans in the UK and Ireland with more opportunities to watch top-tier basketball competition.
The first game of TNT Sports’ WNBA coverage will feature the New York Liberty against the Washington Mystics, with standout players such as Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu facing off against Ariel Atkins and Brittney Sykes. This game is set to tip off on Wednesday, May 15, marking the beginning of what promises to be an exciting season of women’s basketball. The collaboration between TNT Sports and the WNBA is seen as a positive step towards increasing visibility and support for women’s sports in the UK and Ireland.
Trojan Paillot, SVP Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication at Warner Bros. Discovery Europe, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating that showcasing the WNBA elite athletes is an important addition to their women’s sport offering in the region. He highlighted the importance of reflecting the diversity of the audience while complementing their current basketball rights with the addition of the WNBA. Colie Edison, Chief Growth Officer of the WNBA, echoed this sentiment, stating that the collaboration with TNT Sports will bring the excitement of the WNBA to fans in the UK and Ireland, capitalizing on the growing momentum around women’s basketball in the region.
In addition to live game coverage, TNT Sports’ digital and social platforms will provide fans with weekly highlights and clips to keep them informed and engaged throughout the season. This comprehensive coverage aims to ensure that fans do not miss any of the key moments and highlights from the WNBA games. The announcement of this collaboration follows a previous multi-year broadcast collaboration between TNT Sports and the NBA, which offers fans in the UK and Ireland access to over 250 live NBA games and a range of NBA programming, including the Emirates NBA Cup, NBA Playoffs, Finals, and NBA All-Star events.
