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NBC, Prime Video Secure 2026 WNBA Broadcast Rights

5/6/2026

28 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Prime Streams Games

NBC will broadcast 26 games, the playoff semifinals and finals, and 15 teams—Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo—in 2026.
Prime Video will stream 30 games from May 15 with Minnesota Lynx at 2:00 AM and New York Liberty at 4:00 AM.
Allie Clifton will host studio analysis with Swin Cash.
Prime will feature Caitlin Clark and Breanna Stewart, air the Commissioner’s Cup final on June 30, and serve as League Pass partner with interactive streaming.

Summary

Mabrey Million Deal

Marina Mabrey signed the WNBA’s first $1 million contract, becoming the league’s highest-paid player.
The Toronto Tempo’s lone home preseason game at Coca-Cola Coliseum sold out, showing strong local demand.
General manager Monica Wright Rogers said the expansion draft went exactly as the Tempo had hoped.
The new collective bargaining agreement guarantees higher player salaries for the 2026 season.

History

Historical Context

The Women’s National Basketball Association, founded by the NBA in 1996, launched its inaugural 1997 season with eight teams, including the Houston Comets who won the first championship. After cycles of expansion and contraction that left 13 teams in 2025, the league will add two new franchises in 2026, the first Canadian team, expanding its footprint.

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Prime Streams Games

NBC will broadcast 26 games, the playoff semifinals and finals, and 15 teams—Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo—in 2026.
Prime Video will stream 30 games from May 15 with Minnesota Lynx at 2:00 AM and New York Liberty at 4:00 AM.
Allie Clifton will host studio analysis with Swin Cash.
Prime will feature Caitlin Clark and Breanna Stewart, air the Commissioner’s Cup final on June 30, and serve as League Pass partner with interactive streaming.

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