ION will continue to air WNBA regular-season games on Friday nights after the league and Scripps reached a multiyear media rights deal.
Terms of the deal — which will take effect for the 2026 season — were not disclosed.
“This new multi-year agreement reflects the growing excitement surrounding the league and the rising demand for WNBA games,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “Through Scripps’ ION Network Friday Night doubleheaders, we will continue to showcase the world-class talent of WNBA athletes to even more fans nationwide.”
ION began airing WNBA game on Friday nights in 2023, with the initial three-year agreement between ION reportedly worth $13 million annually.
In its opening Friday this season, former UConn star Paige Bueckers‘ debut with the Dallas Wings drew an average of 639,000 viewers, and the league debut of the Golden State Valkyries drew an average of 581,000 viewers, per The Athletic.
The May 30 matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun averaged 851,000 viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game without Caitlin Clark in the network’s history, according to Sports Media Watch. As of the end of May, ION has seen year-over-year average viewership increase 39 percent to average 550,000,…
