After some marathon negotiations, the WNBA and its players union were finally able to ratify their new collective bargaining agreement. Adding on to the good news is that the WNBA now has a new long-term deal with CBS Sports.
On Wednesday, the WNBA and CBS announced that they have agreed to terms on a new multimedia rights agreement. The enhancement to their current deal will include 20 regular season games on CBS, the most ever on their main network.
In a statement, CBS executive vice president of programming Dan Weinberg praised the WNBA and said that he looks forward to working with them to "amplify" their growing momentum.
“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,” Weinberg said. “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.”
CBS further announced that their lead broadcast team for WNBA coverage will continue to be Jordan Kent, Isis "Ice" Young and Tiffany Blackmon.
The WNBA also released a statement, confirming that they are back for "Season 30 and beyond!"
"The WNBA and CBS Sports are back for Season 30 and beyond! The new partnership will feature a record 20 games on CBS broadcast in 2026, with games also streaming live on Paramount+ and a revamped WNBA Tip-Off Show," the league announced today.
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Growing the Game
The WNBA players were able to wring out some pretty massive concessions from the league in their CBA negotiations. Top player salaries are set to multiply tenfold or more in the years to come.
But salary bumps wouldn't be possible if the money wasn't there. And the money wouldn't be there without the big networks putting their games on for a national audience as often as possible.
Over the last two seasons, the WNBA has seen a ratings explosion and have capitalized on it in a big way.
Will 2026 see yet another ratings bump for the league?
