Amazon Prime Video Nets Global WNBA And NBA Rights Deals

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Amazon Prime Video have penned an 11-year international streaming rights agreement, running from 2036 to 2037.

As per the new tie-up, the subscription streaming service will air 30 regular season fixtures internationally from the elite US women’s basketball division.

The deal comes as part of the WNBA’s media rights agreement with Amazon, Disney and NBCUniversal, which is reportedly worth $2.2bn (£1.7bn) in total.

For its next broadcast rights cycle, the WNBA is reportedly set to quadruple its media rights revenue from $50m (£38.8m) to $200m (£155.2m) per year.

The Prime Video deal includes exclusive rights to select WNBA postseason games, including one first round series each year, seven semi final series, as well as seven semi-finals series and three WNBA Finals over its duration.

The partnership covers all global territories where Prime Video operates, with the exception of Greater China, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands.

The WNBA has seen a surge in popularity over the last year, resulting in records in attendance and viewership.

Earlier this week, the WNBA All-Star Game reached 3.44 million viewers on ABC, shattering the previous record of 1.4 million in 2003.

“The WNBA is soaring in popularity, and we’re so gratified to continue our relationship and to have the chance to showcase these incredible athletes to even more Prime members around the world,” said Jay Marine, Global Head of Sports at Amazon Prime Video.

 “This is an incredibly exciting moment for the league as more fans discover just how fun and thrilling WNBA action is – we’re proud to have been their partner over the past four seasons, and to re-affirm our commitment to the W and its fans, both old and new, for years to come.”

Meanwhile, the NBA has signed an 11-year extension of its global media rights deal with Prime Video, taking effect from the 2025/26 season.

As per the renewal, Prime Video is increasing the number of games shown in select international markets including the UK. The streaming service will air 20 additional primetime regular season fixtures each season.

Prime Video will stream one Conference Finals per season, as well as the NBA Finals in six of the 11 years, as part of the expanded package, which also covers Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany.

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