The WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) is having one of its best seasons ever in terms of viewership, attendance, subscriptions, and merchandise sales.
However, a report from The Washington Post indicates that the WNBA and its 12 teams are set to lose roughly $50 million (USD) this year.
This comes despite the WNBA reaching a 26-year peak in terms of attendance, viewership being at a record-high, merchandise sales going up 756% and viewing subscriptions increasing by 355%, per the league.
While the competition's financials are set to be at a significant loss this year, The Washington Post understands that a new media rights deal could drastically increase media revenue from $60 million to $200 million next season.
“If we're only there for 4½ months … how attractive is that? But we and the NBA are maybe the only sports properties that can give 330 days of live programming—almost the entire year. That's hugely valuable to a subscription platform,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the publication.
This is due to the growth of the sport, which has been helped by this year's draft class, which includes players such as Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink and Angel Reese.