In an age where sports fans need to subscribe to an alphabet soup of media entities to watch the entirety of their favorite sport, you can now add Versant to the list, if you are a WNBA fan.<\/p>\n
The WNBA and Versant, the media company which will be spun out next year featuring NBCUniversal\u2019s cable television networks including sports-oriented USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, announced on Tuesday 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.<\/p>\n
The deal begins with the 2026 WNBA season and runs through 2036. For the years that Versant has the WNBA Finals (beginning in 2026), those games will be divided between Versant on USA Network and NBCU on NBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cPartnering with Versant and USA Network marks another significant milestone for the WNBA\u2019s continued growth,\u201d said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a statement. \u201cAs demand for women\u2019s basketball continues to rise, partnerships like this expand the visibility and accessibility of our game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deal will have USA Network airing 50+ WNBA games annually, including a still-to-be-defined number of playoff games in select years. Wednesday night doubleheaders will anchor USA Network\u2019s coverage. The company said that each broadcast night will have dedicated pregame and postgame studio programming. Versant will have its own dedicated WNBA on-air and production staff, signaling that resources are being placed into the product.<\/p>\n