Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) TNT Sports will carry games played by teams associated with the Unrivaled professional women’s basketball league, the companies announced on Wednesday.
TNT Sports will air nearly four dozen Unrivaled games in prime-time across its two cable TV channels, TNT and Tru TV, and stream the games on Max, starting with the league’s inaugural season in January and for several seasons thereafter.
The deal will also see WBD commit to a financial investment in Unrivaled, the company affirmed on Wednesday, though specific terms of that part of the deal were not disclosed.
“Our TNT Sports portfolio centers on premium live sports and our media and equity partnership with Unrivaled deepens our commitment to further expanding the depth of top tier women’s sports programming we offer our fans and presents an opportunity for us to shape and amplify the continued growth of women’s basketball,” Luis Silberwasser, the Chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, said in a statement.
Unrivaled was founded by Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) athletes Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The league consists of six teams comprised of around 30 professional athletes, who participate in full court, 3-on-3 style competitions.
The agreement with TNT Sports means Unrivaled has “sustained stability and financial security for all players and stakeholders,” the company said in a statement. David Levy, the co-CEO of Horizon Sports & Experiences, and John Skipper helped negotiate the deal; HS&E and Skipper are also among Unrivaled’s financial backers.
“TNT Sports has a long and storied history of unparalleled coverage and production in both pro and college basketball, and I have witnessed their commitment to excellence firsthand,” said Levy. “Together, Unrivaled and TNT Sports are committed to growing the league’s brand and engaging fans with this exciting new 3-on-3 competition. By embracing a shared fan-first approach, we are dedicated to delivering a best-in-class viewing experience for the league’s inaugural season and beyond.”
Ally Financial has been named the first founding partner of the league, and will serve as the jersey patch sponsor for all six Unrivaled teams.
