On The Air: WNBA Details TV Schedule With ESPN, NBC, CBS For 30th Anniversary

By Barry Janoff

April 23, 2026: With the 2026 season fast approaching (May 8), the WNBA has detailed the broadcast schedule with media partners including ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Amazon’s Prime Video.

The schedule for the WNBA’s 30th anniversary season represents the start of the league’s new media rights deals, which features the renewal of partnerships with The Walt Disney Company (ABC/ESPN), Amazon Prime Video, CBS Sports/Paramount+, and Scripps (ION); new partners NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock/NBCSN) and USA Sports (USA Network; and the continuation of distribution of games on NBA TV.

“The WNBA is coming off a landmark season in 2025, one that was defined by incredible basketball and countless memorable performances,” commissioner Cathy Engelbert s aid via the WNBA.

“With an incredible 2026 draft and so many notable free agency signings and trades now giving way to the start of the season, the WNBA’s unprecedented lineup of linear and streaming partners will shine a light on must-see matchups, and the remarkable skills the WNBA’s stars provide each time they step on the court.”

All 15 teams will play during opening weekend as part of WNBA Tip-Off 2026 presented by CarMax.

The Indiana Fever, with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, said the team would be featured on national television in each of their 44 games, marking a franchise high for most national TV games in Fever history, as well as the most for a single team in WNBA history. The Fever also said they are the only team across the league to have 100% of their games on national broadcast this season.

Fever games will be aired across the league’s portfolio of broadcast partners including four games on ABC, six games on ESPN, two games on NBC, three games on Peacock, seven games on ION, eight games on Prime Video, four games on CBS, nine games on USA, and one game on NBA TV.

There will be two-week break when many WNBA players are expected to represent their respective nations in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026, Sept. 4-13 in Germany.

The expansion Golden State Valkyries joined the WNBA this past season as its 13th franchise; the Toronto Tempo and Portland Firewe are joining the league in 2026. On April 10, the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors formally approved WNBA expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030.

That expansion will give the league 18 teams.

“This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball,” said Englebert. “This is far more than an expansion of our league — it’s an evolution of it.”

Each of the league’s 15 teams will play 44 games in the 2026 regular season, a record total of 330 WNBA games.

Now in its 30th year of WNBA coverage, Disney Networks will present 30 games and tentpole events across the regular season. ABC’s 13 broadcasts, including the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, are tied for the most-ever by the network. ESPN will broadcast 17 games.

As part of WNBA Tip-Off 2026 presented by CarMax, ABC will broadcast an opening weekend doubleheader on May 9, when the Indiana Fever hosts the Dallas Wings and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces host the Phoenix Mercury in a rematch of the 2025 Finals.

In addition, nine WNBA games will be featured in ESPN’s new consecutive nine-week primetime block dedicated to women’s sports, Women’s Sports Sundays beginning (June 21).

In July 2024, NBCUniversal and the WNBA announced an 11-year media rights agreement, beginning with the 2026 season. In 2026, NBCUniversal will present WNBA regular-season games, WNBA Semi-Finals and WNBA Finals, across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN.

The WNBA returns to NBC, which broadcast the first WNBA game in 1997, for the first time since 2002.

NBC Sports’ 2026 WNBA slate of 22 regular season games begins with the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces visiting the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, May 17.

In addition to streaming 12 Monday matchups and three weekend games during the regular season, Peacock will stream every game of the WNBA Finals, with each game also telecast on NBC or USA Network.

“The return of the WNBA to NBC Sports for the first time since 2002 is a milestone moment — not only for our platforms, but for the league and its fans,” Rick Cordella, NBC Sports president, said via the network.

“With the WNBA experiencing unprecedented popularity, the 2026 schedule showcases everything that defines the league today: championship‑caliber teams, emerging franchises, compelling rivalries, and the game’s biggest stars on some of the sport’s most prominent stages.”

NBCUniversal’s WNBA schedule this season features five appearances apiece by the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinalist Indiana Fever. Additionally, the New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings each have four games.

NBC Sports said WNBA icon and Basketball Hall of Famers Sue Bird and Cheryl Miller will serve as studio analysts; Maria Taylor and LaChina Robinson as studio hosts; LaChina Robinson and Sarah Kustok as game analysts; and Zora Stephenson, Noah Eagle, and Michael Grady as play-by-play voices.

CBS Sports will present 20 regular-season games for the upcoming 2026 season, marking the network’s most WNBA games on broadcast television, on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+.

CBS begins its coverage with two games on May 23.

“The WNBA’s growth and cultural impact have never been stronger, and CBS Sports is proud to deepen our longstanding partnership with a league that continues to drive the evolution of women’s sports,” Dan Weinberg, CBS Sports evp-programming, said via the league.

“With our entire schedule of games on broadcast television, we are broadening the league’s reach and amplifying the WNBA’s momentum with best‑in‑class coverage that reflects the excellence of its athletes and resonates with fans.”

As part of the new pact, The WNBA Tip Off Show, CBS Sports’ pregame, halftime and postgame studio show, is returning.

It will and expand to support ten games, including six shows airing on CBS and Paramount+ and four digital-exclusive editions available via CBS Sports HQ.

The show will add Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie as analyst and CBS Sports reporter Jenny Dell as host, joining analyst Renee Montgomery.ION will broadcast the most games across the regular season (50) as part of its “State Farm WNBA Friday Night Spotlight” series.

People can tune in to ION every Friday night for doubleheaders.

Six years after becoming the first women’s professional sports league to have its games streamed on Prime Video, the WNBA’s 30th season will include 30 regular season games on the streaming platform.

This past September, Versant and the WNBA unveiled an 11-year media rights agreement for USA Network to present WNBA games – including the regular-season and portions of the Playoffs and WNBA Finals in select years – beginning with the 2026 season.

Versant Media Group, the independent American mass media company spun off from Comcast/NBCUniversal in January 2026, includes CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, and E!.

As part of the multi-year agreement which runs through 2036, USA Network will present at least 50 WNBA games annually, primarily in the form of Wednesday night doubleheaders, and coverage of the WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals games in select years beginning in 2026 alongside NBC.

USA has unveiled a 16-person team for its inaugural WNBA coverage roster.  Hall of Famers, former WNBA players and veteran broadcasters.Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw will join  longtime WNBA commentators Amy Audibert, Lea B. Olsen, and Carlan Gay.

Prime Video will, for the sixth consecutive year, exclusively stream the Championship Game of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Presented by Coinbase (June 30), the culmination of the WNBA’s marquee midseason tournament.

Prime Video Channels will also be the exclusive third-party digital distribution destination for WNBA League Pass, the WNBA’s subscription service for streaming live and on-demand games, in the U.S. and select international markets.

In its 24th year of WNBA coverage, NBA TV’s 15-game slate will start as part of WNBA Tip-Off 2026 presented by CarMax with Portland hosting the Chicago Sky on May 9.

The WNBA plans to introduce several initiatives tied to the 30th season, including the WNBA Legacy Trail merchandise program, campaign films, a Top 30 Plays series and Court Origins programming featuring WNBA Court Origins Nights.

Support is anchored by a commemorative Season 30 logo that will appear on courts, game balls and jerseys throughout the season.

The initial promo spot, “WNBA Season 30: Raising Goats,” features WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes.

The campaign comes with the tagline, There’s More Where Thirty Came From,” amplifying that the “WNBA’s 30-year journey is a continuous narrative of progress and cultural impact.” Two more spots will air as part of its Season 30 campaign: “Signatures” and “Confetti.”

“With our entire schedule of games on broadcast television, we are broadening the league’s reach and amplifying the WNBA’s momentum."

“Season 30 arrives at the perfect transformational moment in our league’s history – marking both a defining milestone and the beginning of a new era for the WNBA,” commissioner Cathy Engelbert said via the league.

““The unprecedented growth and momentum we’re experiencing today is the result of three decades of commitment – from players, teams, fans, partners, and investors.”

“As we tip off our historic 30th season, we’re bringing fans closer to the WNBA than ever before through bold, creative, and immersive storytelling,” CMO Phil Cook said via the league.

“We’re building a season-long platform of activations, collaborations, and fan-first experiences designed to engage the WNBA family wherever they are. Season 30 will be our msBA.”

According to Engelbert, “As we step into this next dynamic era together, Season 30 is tracking to be our most memorable yet – celebrating both how far we’ve come while highlighting the limitless opportunities ahead as we continue to elevate women’s basketball to new heights.”

See full broadcast schedule here.

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