Whatever way you spin it, Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women\u2019s basketball league partly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, had a tough sophomore season.<\/p>\n
The league, which features major WNBA stars like Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Breanna Stewart, Angel Reese, Brittney Griner, and many more, saw a substantial drop in viewership<\/a> in its second year. Per data obtained by Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, Unrivaled averaged 185,000 viewers on TNT during games that did not air directly against the College Football Playoffs, NFL playoffs, and Winter Olympics. Despite the myriad of caveats, that number is still down significantly from its full-season average on TNT last year, 221,000 viewers (down 16%).<\/p>\n Unrivaled viewership bullet points, year \u270c\ud83c\udffb pic.twitter.com\/6ad05oQlIC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) March 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s unclear how the league would\u2019ve fared if the games played against major sporting events were included in the dataset.<\/p>\n The Unrivaled Playoff Finals averaged 314,000 viewers across TNT and truTV on Wednesday, down 14% versus last year\u2019s Finals (364,000 viewers). Overall, the Unrivaled Playoffs averaged 258,000 viewers across TNT and truTV, down 9% from last year\u2019s Playoffs (284,000 viewers).<\/p>\n Unrivaled\u2019s fall off from Year 1 sets up a pivotal Year 3 for the league. Following next season, Warner Bros. Discovery can opt out of its six-year media rights pact. Of course, Paramount is in the process of buying Warner Bros. Discovery and may have a different outlook on the nascent women\u2019s basketball league, adding yet another layer of uncertainty. The initial six-year media rights deal was reportedly worth nine-figures, and with the newly combined Paramount-WBD likely to enter full cost-cutting mode once the transaction is finalized, Unrivaled could soon find itself on shaky ground.<\/p>\n While the league sputters in the television ratings, Unrivaled has shown a decent proof of concept with its live, in-person events. The league sold out arenas in both Philadelphia and Brooklyn this season\u00a0and is\u00a0planning to add between 4 and 6<\/a>\u00a0tour stops<\/a> for 2027. The in-person excitement has translated to healthy merchandise sales as well.<\/p>\n But the in-person experience only goes so far. These leagues are only viable insofar as the television product catches on. So far, Unrivaled is facing an uphill battle on that front.<\/p>\n \t\n