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WNBA Announces Deal to Air Friday Night Regular Season Games on ION Beginning in May

David Satin
David covers the biggest news stories, live events, premieres, and informational pieces for The Streamable. Before joining TS, he wrote extensively for Screen Rant and has years of experience writing about the entertainment and streaming industries. He's a Broncos fan, streams on his Toshiba Fire TV, and his favorites include "Andor," "Rings of Power," and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
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David Satin

ION, the free broadcast channel from E.W. Scripps, is about to get its first live sports offering in its history. Scripps has announced a new multi-year partnership with the WNBA to televise games on Friday nights during the regular season.

“WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION” will offer WNBA games during two windows on Friday nights over 15 weeks, from May 26 to Sept. 8. Scripps and the league will announce the full schedule, including times at a later date. Some games will be national broadcasts, while others will be regional.

“The WNBA is thrilled to partner with Scripps to expand the league’s media horizon and reach basketball fans in greater numbers,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Access to watch WNBA games is in high demand, and Scripps’ dedicated Friday night lineup of WNBA games on ION will become much desired appointment viewing for WNBA fans.”

WNBA games are the first live sporting event ever to be offered on ION. It was reported that Scripps was bidding on live sports rights in December of 2022, and it was anticipated that it would use a channel like ION or Bounce TV to broadcast such games if it won those bids. Those plans have now come to fruition, and ION will start carrying WNBA contests as soon as next month.

“The WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION brings women’s professional basketball the broadest possible reach with the consistency that fans, players, teams and the league deserve,” said Adam Symson, Scripps president and CEO. “Scripps is fully committed to serving and growing the number of American women’s basketball fans who value the athleticism, professionalism and excitement the WNBA brings into their living rooms.”

This might not be the last news audiences hear about Scripps acquiring more sports broadcasts, either. In late March, it was reported the company was in talks to take over broadcasting duties for MLB and NBA teams if their games could no longer be shown on a Bally Sports regional sports network (RSN). Bally Sports and its parent company Diamond Sports Group are currently in the midst of bankruptcy court proceedings, and may have to surrender some of their MLB rights in the near future because of debt issues.

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David Satin
David covers the biggest news stories, live events, premieres, and informational pieces for The Streamable. Before joining TS, he wrote extensively for Screen Rant and has years of experience writing about the entertainment and streaming industries. He's a Broncos fan, streams on his Toshiba Fire TV, and his favorites include "Andor," "Rings of Power," and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
Read full bio ›
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