As ESPN continues to roll out its new streaming strategy and the WNBA looks for greater exposure following a massive NCAA tournament, the league’s opening night will be available to stream live on Disney+.
On May 14, the Connecticut Sun will host Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, while the Las Vegas Aces will host the Phoenix Mercury to kick off the 2024 WNBA season. The games will be broadcast on ESPN and available to stream on ESPN+ as usual, but Disney will also make the games available live on Disney+.
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WNBA opening night comes after the league’s draft last month saw more than 2 million viewers, making it the second most-watched WNBA event ever. Tens of millions of sports fans watched Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes return to the NCAA championship game in early April.
As the WNBA’s primary broadcast partner, ESPN will seek to capitalize on women’s basketball’s newfound popularity. It’s no coincidence that Clark is on the opening night slate.
This move comes after Disney announced on an earnings call this week that it would put an ESPN “tile” on Disney+ by the end of 2024.
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Earlier this year, Disney added Hulu content to the platform.
In a press release announcing the move, outgoing Disney CTO Aaron LeBerge said, “This marks the most significant technical, operational, and product evolution for Disney+ since its launch – one that reflects a wider technology transformation that we have been undertaking. That work will drive an enhanced, more engaging user experience with Disney+ and lays the foundation for the innovations and enhancements we are planning for the future.”
Previously, Disney+ had Indian Premier League cricket broadcast rights in India. It lost those rights last year.
Disney also plans to launch a combined “Spulu” streaming service with TNT Sports and Fox this year. Next year, it will launch a fully over-the-top ESPN app.
Next week’s WNBA opening night slate will mark a new milestone in the company’s evolution from cable to streaming.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.