Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled basketball league finally has a new home. TNT Sports has agreed to broadcast games in primetime, which feels like a massive win for such a young organization.
Much has been made of Unrivaled, including how well it could be the premier destination for the WNBA’s top talent to play during the offseason. But, with Stewie and Phee giving the world a taste of the level of competition the league will presumably bring in the WNBA Finals, it’s not shocking that TNT Sports jumped in to support.
Unrivaled’s new multi-year media rights partnership includes exclusive live game coverage on TNT and truTV — along with all games being streamed on Max — starting January 17, 2025. That means fans will see 30 of the WNBA’s best, including Angel Reese, during 45 matchups spread across TNT on Mondays and Fridays and truTV on Saturdays.
NEWS: TNT Sports & @Unrivaledwbb have reached a multi-year media partnership beginning in Jan. 2025! 💥
🏀 45+ reg. season games from inaugural season to air across TNT, truTV & @StreamOnMax
🏀 TNT Sports to be equity partner in new leagueMore: https://t.co/aasVnslNzD pic.twitter.com/7eUCvN6xcq
— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) October 16, 2024
Everything you need to know about Unrivaled ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/G876tJ4J41
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 16, 2024
Why is this a huge deal? It legitimizes the league and helps women’s basketball grow.
Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, recently reiterated that notion, saying, “Our media and equity partnership with Unrivaled deepens our commitment to further expanding the depth of top-tier women’s sports programming we offer our fans and presents an opportunity for us to shape and amplify the continued growth of women’s basketball.”
WNBA players on TNT is also a tremendous win for the W because it creates additional exposure for its athletes and silences many critics who aren’t convinced of the level of elite talent that exists beyond the names that generate clicks and views.
This is a fantastic move by TNT, Stewie, Phee, and Unrivaled’s introduction into the sports world. It nailed a critical step early, and we need more of this level of investment.
