The WNBA landed another frontline sponsorship deal this week, adding DraftKings as its official sports betting partner.
The deal will give DraftKings the rights to the intellectual property of the league and its teams, as well as access to official WNBA data that can then be used for betting and daily fantasy. DraftKings will also be the presenting sponsor for the league’s new content platform that will run in September centered around the WNBA’s playoff race.
The WNBA also has a deal with FanDuel to serve as its official betting partner. The NBA also has the same official partners.
“The WNBA has seen tremendous growth, which continues to be a bright spot in the sports world. We are proud to support the league in its efforts to continue expanding the game,” DraftKings president Matt Kalish said.
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The DraftKings partnership is the latest bit of positive business news for the league this week. On Tuesday, the WNBA announced a multiyear deal with New Balance where the sneaker company will serve as one of the league’s official partners.
The WNBA has also gained some certainty about its next media rights deal. The league will receive roughly $2.2 billion over 11 years from Disney, NBC and Amazon, with the contracts set to start after the conclusion of the league’s current TV deals, which end with the 2025 season. Those agreements were negotiated during the NBA’s media rights talks this spring.
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WNBA set to receive $2.2 billion over 11 years in media rights deals
It continues a year of growth for the WNBA. Ratings have continued to climb during the 2024 season with the debuts of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, but the league has shown viewership appeal even beyond its new stars. A Phoenix Mercury-Connecticut Sun game averaged 1.02 million viewers Sunday.
In all, the WNBA has had 15 games draw at least one million viewers this season, already tied for the most in any season, according to Sports Media Watch. The top 10 highest-rated games, and 13 of those 15, have included the Indiana Fever and Clark. The two highest-rated games of the season have both been Sky-Fever matchups.
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(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)