CBS Sports and the WNBA have announced a multi-year agreement that will feature the largest slate of games broadcast by the network. As part of the deal, CBS Sports will be presenting eight regular-season games per year on the CBS Television Network starting with the 2024 season. The network’s first game of the year, a matchup between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, will be broadcast on Saturday, May 25 at 1 p.m. EST on CBS and streaming live on Paramount+. Moreover, an additional 12 games will be televised on CBS Sports Network over the duration of the deal. CBS Sports Network will begin its live game broadcasts on the same day, Saturday, May 25, when the Connecticut Sun play the Chicago Sky at 8 p.m. EST.
“We’re thrilled to extend our strong partnership with the WNBA,” Dan Weinberg, executive vice president of programming of CBS Sports, said in a statement. “As the league continues to build momentum, this is a great opportunity to expand our broadcast presence and further lean into our commitment to providing a national platform for women’s sports.”
The new media rights agreement extends the five-year partnership between CBS Sports and the WNBA, which first came to terms on a multi-year deal with CBS Sports in 2019. The WNBA will feature several returning All-Stars and young phenoms throughout the year, such as Sabrina Ionescu, Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson. Combined viewership across the CBS Television Network and Disney-owned networks (ABC, ESPN) was up 8% over the 2022 season and averaged 505,000 viewers.
CBS Sports announced its full schedule of WNBA broadcasts as well, which includes a CBS doubleheader on Saturday, Aug. 17. The first game scheduled is a matchup between the Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics at 2 p.m. EST. Afterwards, the second game on the schedule features a rematch of the WNBA Finals when the New York Liberty visit the Las Vegas Aces. The Indiana Fever are featured three times on CBS and CBS Sports Network this season and are expected to select standout Iowa guard and NCAA all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark with the first-overall pick in next week’s WNBA Draft.
