The WNBA is getting a major signal boost for the 2019 season.
The league and CBS Sports Network have to come to a multi-year partnership agreement starting with the upcoming WNBA season that begins on May 24. CBS Sports is set to broadcast a total of 40 live WNBA games in 2019, and will kick off its coverage with the Minnesota Lynx taking on the Chicago Sky in Minnesota on May 25, though the Lynx will be without their star Maya Moore, who is currently on sabbatical.
“Through our partnership with CBS Sports Network, the WNBA is joining an elite lineup of premium sports programming,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a press release. “We thank CBS Sports for making such a meaningful commitment to women’s basketball and for providing another platform to showcase the world-class athletes of the WNBA.”
Defending champion Seattle Storm will get six national television appearances, most of any team, taking on Minnesota on May 29 for their televised bout. The WNBA maintains a partnership with ESPN, too, with the network scheduled to broadcast 16 games across its platforms and ABC. Viewership was up 31 percent over 2017 for the WNBA last season, and the increased spotlight for the upcoming season is a direct reflection of the league’s growing popularity in its 23rd year.
