NBC Sports 11-year WNBA partnership

NBCUniversal’s WNBA partnership is not a one-off launch. It is the WNBA portion of a broader 11-year media rights agreement announced on July 24, 2024, that brought the NBA and WNBA back to NBCUniversal beginning with the 2025-26 NBA season and the 2026 WNBA season. The WNBA said the deal runs through the 2036 season and includes distribution across NBC, Peacock and USA Network. The 2026 season is the first year that agreement is active for the WNBA. On April 22, 2026, the league said its new media-rights package had begun, with NBCUniversal joining Disney, Amazon, CBS Sports/Paramount+, Scripps and NBA TV in a record 216-game national schedule. ### So what exactly did NBC buy? (wnba.com) The WNBA said NBCUniversal will distribute at least 50 regular-season games each season, plus playoff inventory, from 2026 through 2036. The league said the three main national partners — Disney, NBCU and Amazon — will combine to carry more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationally each year. (wnba.com) NBCUniversal’s own release said the package includes more than 50 WNBA regular-season and first-round playoff games each season across USA Network, Peacock and NBC. It also said NBCU will carry three WNBA Finals series during the term — in 2026, 2030 and 2034 — and semifinal games in seven seasons. (wnba.com) ### Where will fans actually see the games? The WNBA said NBCUniversal’s games will air on NBC, USA Network and Peacock. In the league’s April 2026 schedule release, NBC was assigned a Sunday package, while Peacock was given a Monday package as part of the new season rollout. The April 22 schedule release also said the 2026 broadcast calendar was the first under the league’s new rights structure. (nbcuniversal.com) That release listed NBC/Peacock/NBCSN among the league’s national carriers and separately identified USA Network in the broader partner lineup. ### Did this really bring the WNBA back to NBC? (wnba.com) NBC Sports said yes. In a May 14, 2026 media call transcript, the network said there would be 8,660 days between NBC Sports’ last WNBA game in 2002 and its 2026 season debut. Betsy Riley, NBC Sports’ coordinating producer, said she had gone back and watched the inaugural 1997 WNBA game, which aired on NBC. (wnba.com) That return is part of NBCUniversal’s broader effort to revive legacy basketball properties on its platforms. The company’s 2024 announcement framed the WNBA package alongside the return of NBA coverage to NBC and Peacock. (nbcsports.com) ### What did the league say about why this matters? WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the 2024 agreements with Disney, Amazon and NBCU “a monumental chapter in WNBA history.” She said the deals showed “the significant rise in value and the historic level of interest in women’s basketball.” In NBCUniversal’s announcement, Engelbert said returning to NBCU came “at a time when momentum around the WNBA and women’s basketball has never been higher” and would help the league reach new fans through NBCU’s platforms. (nbcuniversal.com) (wnba.com) ### What comes next in the package? The 2026 season is the first checkpoint. NBCUniversal’s rights run through the 2036 season, and the company is scheduled to carry WNBA Finals series in 2026, 2030 and 2034, according to its release. (nbcuniversal.com) The league’s April 2026 schedule release said NBC’s regular-season package centers on seven Sunday windows, with additional games on Peacock and other national partners across the season. That makes the current year the first real test of how the long-term deal will look in practice for viewers, teams and advertisers. (wnba.com) (nbcuniversal.com)