Sky Sport secures comprehensive broadcasting rights for the 2026 WNBA season, covering all regular and playoff games
Executive summary: Sky Sport and its streaming service NOW will broadcast all WNBA 2026 matches, including the current playoff stage. Securing full rights for a growing league like the WNBA is critical for media companies to capture the expanding female sports audience and associated sponsorship revenue.
Who is involved: Sky Sport, NOW, WNBA, and new expansion teams (Toronto Tempo, Portland Fire).
Likely next: Continued coverage of the WNBA playoffs and increased viewership metrics following the expansion of the league's footprint.
Sky Sport has solidified its position in the growing women's sports market by securing full coverage of the WNBA 2026 season through its linear and streaming platforms. The agreement includes the highly anticipated playoff phase and highlights the league's expanding footprint with new franchises like Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. This strategic move capitalizes on the increasing viewership and commercial interest in women's professional basketball.
What's next — scenarios
Base: Continued viewership growth (60%)
Higher advertising revenues for Sky Sport as WNBA popularity increases.
- Consistent playoff viewership numbers
Upside: Expansion effect (25%)
New franchises like Toronto Tempo drive significant new subscriber growth on NOW.
- High engagement from new franchise markets
Downside: Audience plateau (15%)
Stagnant subscriber growth for streaming platforms if new franchises fail to attract interest.
- Low viewership in expansion team markets
What to watch
- WNBA Playoff series outcomes (September 2026)
- Viewership data for expansion franchises (Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire)
Timeline
- — Playoff WNBA, Zanda da urlo: 22 punti in gara-1 e prima vittoria Valkyries (Sky Sport)
- — WNBA, tutte le partite in onda su Sky Sport e in streaming su NOW della stagione 2026 (Sky Sport)
- — WNBA, cominciano i playoff: Zandalasini subito in campo su Sky Sport (Sky Sport)
- — WNBA Playoff, Golden State-Dallas 104-80 (Sky Sport)
- — P&G partners with WNBA All-Star Kelsey Mitchell (PR Newswire)
- — CNBC to simulcast 11 WNBA games this season (CNBC — Business)
Analysis — what this means
Likely next events
- WNBA Playoff games following the start of the series (September 2026)
Sectors affected
- Sports broadcasting
- Streaming services
- Professional women's sports
Historical parallels
- Expansion of WNBA coverage through partnerships like CNBC (2026)
Key entities
Sources
- WNBA, tutte le partite in onda su Sky Sport e in streaming su NOW della stagione 2026 — Sky Sport
- WNBA, cominciano i playoff: Zandalasini subito in campo su Sky Sport — Sky Sport
- Playoff WNBA, Zanda da urlo: 22 punti in gara-1 e prima vittoria Valkyries — Sky Sport
- WNBA Playoff, Golden State-Dallas 104-80 — Sky Sport
- CNBC to simulcast 11 WNBA games this season — CNBC — Business
- P&G partners with WNBA All-Star Kelsey Mitchell — PR Newswire
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