WNBA adds 11-game simulcast package this season
Versant says CNBC will carry 11 WNBA games alongside USA Network, starting with Aces-Mercury on Wednesday night.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Versant said Wednesday that CNBC will simulcast 11 WNBA games this season, adding another national outlet for the league’s broadcasts. The package begins Wednesday night with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces facing the Phoenix Mercury at 10 p.m. ET.
The games will also air on USA Network, another Versant channel. CNBC reported that the simulcasts are tied to Versant’s media rights agreement with the WNBA and give the league access to CNBC’s business-news audience.
Wednesday’s Aces-Mercury game is the second part of a doubleheader. CNBC said USA Network will carry the New York Liberty against the Chicago Sky at 8 p.m. ET before the later game.
USA Sports President Matt Hong said, according to CNBC, that the added CNBC coverage is meant to help viewers keep up when doubleheaders overlap or run long. The simulcast gives fans another channel option if one game spills into the next scheduled window.
Part of a longer rights deal
Versant and the WNBA announced an 11-year media rights agreement last September, CNBC reported. Under that deal, USA Network is set to show at least 50 WNBA games each year, including regular-season and postseason matchups.
The CNBC games add a business-news network to that coverage plan. CNBC said the arrangement could help the WNBA reach a higher-income audience as the league tries to build on rising interest.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is also joining Versant’s WNBA coverage. CNBC reported that Cunningham will make her debut Wednesday as an athlete contributor and will appear in studio coverage for both games of the doubleheader across the networks.
Sports push after the Comcast split
CNBC reported that the WNBA simulcasts come as Versant looks for new revenue sources after separating from Comcast. The company is now handling carriage negotiations with pay TV providers on its own, after previously being part of NBCUniversal’s broader programming bundle under Comcast.
Live sports can play a role in those distribution talks, CNBC reported. The network has carried some Olympic events and occasional golf coverage before, but the WNBA package gives CNBC a more regular live sports presence during the season.
Versant’s portfolio includes USA Network, CNBC, MS Now, E!, SyFy and Oxygen, along with digital platforms such as Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass, according to CNBC. CNBC also reported that Versant has rights deals with NASCAR, the PGA Tour, the LPGA and Pac-12 football and basketball.
The WNBA simulcasts add to that sports slate while giving USA Network a backup outlet during schedule conflicts. For the league, the deal puts more games on cable at a time when media companies are competing for live sports programming.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.