The WNBA announces historic preseason expansion as fan, sponsor interest rises

The GIST: Yesterday, the WNBA made history (again) by announcing that all games in its expanded preseason slate will be broadcast or streamed this year. The move comes as the W continues to monetize its product, and with this whole new chunk of games, brands can reach WNBA superfans like never before. Count it.

The details: Fans will be able to stream 14 of 15 preseason games with a free WNBA League Pass preview on the WNBA App — a perfect way to hook viewers for regular-season play. The 15th game (Indiana Fever vs. Brazil’s women’s national team) will only be available on ESPN platforms and four preseason matchups will also be broadcast nationally across ESPN, ION, and NBA TV.

• ION will tip off its Friday Night Spotlight on May 2nd with a preseason doubleheader featuring Paige Bueckers’ first W game and Chicago Sky hoopers Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith returning to LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center to face Brazil’s national team.

• Two days later, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will also take on Brazil at the University of Iowa in the league’s first-ever nationally televised exhibition game.

The precedent: Last year, there were only 10 preseason games, but the W saw an opportunity to capitalize on the hype of Caitlin Clark’s debut. While the league aired Clark’s games nationally, teams like the Chicago Sky were initially out of network, causing outrage online and prompting some IRL fans to livestream games from their phones.

• The W responded swiftly by adding the Sky to WNBA League Pass and created a conscious plan for 2025 that compares favorably to the NBA. In 2024, most NBA preseason games either aired on NBA TV and local networks or on NBA League Pass, with certain games airing nationally on ESPN and TNT.

Zooming out: The new-look preseason shows that the WNBA is ready for its close-up, signaling to brands that this is a complete package — one that hasn’t yet been scooped up by sponsors. Google is the presenting sponsor for the WNBA’s playoffs, YouTube TV sponsors the Finals, and soon enough, the preseason will be presented by someone.

• And with basketball becoming more popular globally, the world is wide open in terms of landing sponsorship deals. Emirates Airline presents the NBA Cup tournament, which led to NBA preseason games in Abu Dhabi. Similarly, these W games should energize fans in Brazil and Japan — both surging markets for the women’s game. Around the world.