"Double our rights fees": WNBA commissioner outlines plans to grow $60,000,000 deal amid Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese arrival

By Roy Afable

Modified Apr 08, 2024 22:28 GMT

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is looking to earn more on the next media rights deal for the WNBA. The league is under its current $60,000,000 media rights package. As the arrival of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the WNBA looms, negotiating for better media rights is Engelbert's top priority.

According to the report from Front Office Sports, the WNBA commissioner says that women's sports rights fees have been undervalued for quite a long time.

"We hope to at least double our rights fees. Women’s sports rights fees have been undervalued for too long, so we have this enormous opportunity at a time where the media landscape is changing so much. We’re really excited to get out in the marketplace.”

The rise in popularity of Caitlin Clark in the NCAA is something the WNBA is looking to bank on when she officially sets foot on the women's pro hoops league in April. Getting a huge payout from such a deal could be a major win for Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA.

Should Engelbert get her wish, the deal could also address problems within the WNBA, such as player compensation and the need for teams to travel via chartered flights instead of commercial flights in the future.

“I do think we’re setting this league up not just for the next three to five years with this next media-rights deal but for the next 30,”

The Caitlin Clark effect in the WNBA

Ahead of the WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark has been shattering records in the NCAA. Games featuring Clark always sell out and whenever she played, viewers watching her play live on TV were left captivated. The WNBA is hoping her impact on the game will carry over to the pro ranks.

With the WNBA draft just around the corner, commissioner Cathy Engelbert hopes Clark's fans will turn up at the event on April 15. Seeing how fans were coming in troves just to see Caitlin Clark in action during March Madness, Engelbert decided to move the draft venue from South Street Seaport studios in Manhattan to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, which can accommodate about 1,000 fans.

Per NBC New York, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says she wants to elevate the experience and high energy from fans at WNBA events.

“We are focused on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss, at a time when the energy for the WNBA has never been higher. Last season resulted in our most-watched-regular season in over two decades, our highest total attendance in 13 years and set record figures across WNBA digital and social platforms.”