2023年4月20日

WNBA和总部位于辛辛那提的E.W.斯克里普斯公司(纳斯达克股票代码:SSP)签署了一项为期多年的转播协议，旨在将联盟的常规赛变成预约电视转播。根据尼尔森的数据，斯克里普斯将在周五晚上在美国收视率第五高的广播电视网络Ion上为W提供固定时段。Ion是美国收视率仅次于ABC、CBS、NBC和Fox的电视网。WNBA是首个在Ion上播出的体育资产，将成为斯克里普斯体育部门的基石，该部门于2022年12月成立。自2022年以来，斯克里普斯当地电视台一直是足球和篮球大赛的主场，但这标志着该媒体集团的首个全国转播协议。财务细节没有披露，但WNBA专员凯茜·恩格尔伯特表示，这些条款“说明了WNBA内容的估值。”恩格尔伯特说:“这对我们和斯克里普斯来说都是一笔很好的交易——我把它称为新的一天的黎明。”“扩大常规赛的足迹，在全国范围内进行额外的比赛，是关键。这是我们今年扩大到40场比赛的重要组成部分，我们有更多的广播合作伙伴。我们很高兴能与Scripps合作，在全国和地方平台上接触到更多的粉丝。”该协议不会延续到2025年赛季结束后，届时联盟与ESPN的主要媒体版权包将到期，双方将谈判一套新的版权包。从赛季第二周到9月8日，WNBA周五之夜聚焦将在联盟第一个40场常规赛的15个周五晚上进行比赛。 ESPN is already slotted to broadcast the start of the WNBA’s 27th season on May 19. The WNBA will be responsible for game production, which is standard in many of the league’s arrangements. Engelbert says the WNBA also produces games on CBS and the Commissioner’s Cup, which has aired on Prime Video for the last two years. Scripps’ Friday night schedule will be announced later as the league finalizes its arrangements with its other broadcast partners. Disney’s networks have already solidified their plans to broadcast 25 games nationally this season across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, including 16 featuring the WNBA’s two expected superteams (the New York Liberty and reigning champion Las Vegas Aces). ESPN will also pick up the postseason, which could add as many as 27 additional playoff games to Disney’s tab. CBS, Paramount+ and CBS Sports will also return as league partners for the 2023 campaign, sharing the remaining WNBA inventory with NBA TV, WNBA League Pass (the W’s streaming platform), Meta Horizon Worlds and Twitter. In 2022, CBS picked up 40 games between its flagship network and CBS Sports. Its 2023 plans have not been announced. Engelbert said Scripps’ slate of games likely would have landed on LeaguePass or local RSNs without the new deal. Scripps plans to invest heavily in marketing the new partnership “on the channels that WNBA fans and women’s sports fans are on, as well as on the media channels where we know we can bring more fans to the game,” president and CEO Adam Symson said. That includes the use of its other networks and local TV stations to promote its WNBA inventory each season of the deal. The end goal, Symson said, is to give the WNBA consistency and reach on linear television while delivering a product that enhances the fan experience. “Women’s sports have typically taken a backseat on television to men’s sports from a programming and reach perspective,” Symson said. “But because Ion is a broadcast network, and not a cable network, and because we [can] geo-target, we’re able to make sure that if you’re in a WNBA home market and your team is playing, you will always see them on Friday night. Just like it takes Fox and CBS simultaneously to provide that same level of addressability for NFL on Sundays, we’re able to do that on Ion.” Read More About: