Despite the thrilling ending to the 2024 season, the WNBA will be losing $40 million this season.
This announcement has frustrated many NBA owners as they account for almost 60 percent of the league. With hundreds of millions of dollars being invested into the WNBA since its inception in 1996, the league has been hoping to return a profit for quite some time. This patience was waning as new dynamic young players such as Indiana Fever guard Catilin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese entered the league. With their arrival, the WNBA had been expecting a financial turnaround sooner rather than later.
The league is coming off of a thrilling season. This past year was the most watched WNBA regular season in 24 years. This continued in the finals as an average of 1.6 million viewers were tuning into each game. However, the league’s revenue stream was not correlating to the record-breaking campaign the league had just experienced.
The WNBA should be making money in the coming years. In 2026, the league will receive a new basketball media contract that will give them $2.2 billion over the next 11 years. This will lead to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players as well as an expanded season. A new format was attributed to the league’s focus on expansion which includes teams such as the Golden State Valkyries entering the fold next season.
This news is not as surprising as it may have initially appeared. The WNBA has typically been in need of the NBA for funding and broadcasting rights. However, the league’s sudden popularity should lead to a route where the league can operate with the NBA instead of under them. This will help the NBA as the league and their team owners will begin to see a worthwhile return.
