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WNBA on USA
GenreWNBA basketball telecasts
Directed by
  • Ted Ballard
  • Liz Donovan (studio director)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
Production
Executive producerJeff Behnke[1]
ProducerTed Ballard (coordinating producer)
Production locationVarious WNBA arenas (game telecasts)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time120 minutes+
Production companyUSA Sports
Original release
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseMay 10, 2026 (2026-05-10) –
present
Related
WNBA on NBC
NBA on USA

The WNBA on USA is an American television sports presentation show broadcast by USA Network. It has aired since May 10, 2026[2]. It consists of branding used for the presentation of Women's National Basketball Association games. The new deal essentially replaces USA Network's portion of a previously announced deal between the WNBA and NBC.[3]

Background

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On July 23, 2024, NBC parent company Comcast confirmed in a conference call with its investors that NBC Sports had secured an agreement with the WNBA on an eleven-year media rights deal beginning in the 2026 season, marking the WNBA's return to NBC after a 24-year absence. An official announcement of the agreement was released by the NBA and NBC the following day, alongside other deals with incumbents ABC/ESPN and Amazon.[4][5]

The agreement was initially going to see games broadcast on NBC, USA Network and streaming on Peacock,[6][7] however in November 2024, Comcast announced that it would spin-off most of its cable networks, including USA Network, into Versant, with the games only airing on NBC and Peacock. In September 2025, Versant also secured an eleven-year agreement with the WNBA to air fifty games on USA, alongside the NBCUniversal, Disney and Amazon deals.[8][9]

Coverage

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Beginning with the 2026 season, USA Sports will air approximately 48 regular season games, primarily on Wednesday and Monday nights[10]. In addition, to end the regular season, USA Network will air nine games over the season's final eight days.[11][12] During the playoffs, USA Network will broadcast[13][14][15] one first round series and all games except 1 and 4 of the WNBA Finals in 2026, 2030, and 2034. Select games on USA Network will stream on Peacock.

On June 17, Versant announced that 11 WNBA games this season will be simulcast in full on CNBC. Most of it were late games in USA Network's doubleheader windows, as an alternative in case of overlap between games.[16]

Commentators

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Hernández, Kristian (May 8, 2026). "USA Sports Dives Headfirst Into Its Inaugural WNBA Season With Onsite 'Postseason-Style' Productions". Sports Video Group. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  2. ↑ Kleen, Brandon (May 11, 2026). "USA Network debuts new free-throw graphic for WNBA broadcasts". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ Jill Goldsmith (September 30, 2025). "WNBA, Versant's USA Network Set Expanded Rights Deal Through 2036". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. ↑ "NBA signs new 11-year media agreements with The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video through 2035-36 season". pr.nba.com. NBA Communications. 24 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "THE NBA AND WNBA RETURN TO NBCUNIVERSAL WITH 11-YEAR AGREEMENT FOR REGULAR SEASON AND PLAYOFF BASKETBALL ON NBC, PEACOCK, USA NETWORK, SKY SPORTS, AND TELEMUNDO". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. 24 July 2024.
  6. ↑ Flint, Joe; Sharma, Amol; Simonetti, Isabella (5 June 2024). "NBA Nears $76 Billion TV Deal In Defining Moment for Media". wsj.com. The Wall Street Journal.
  7. ↑ Marchand, Andrew (10 July 2024). "NBA finalizes TV deals with ESPN, NBC, Amazon, but TNT could still match: Sources". The Athletic. The New York Times Company.
  8. ↑ Porter, Rick (2025-09-30). "WNBA, Versant Sign 11-Year Rights Deal Ahead of NBCU Spinoff". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  9. ↑ Golden, Jessica (2025-09-30). "Versant adds WNBA media deal to its growing sports portfolio". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  10. ↑ "WNBA Unveils National Broadcast Schedule for its 30th Regular Season". WNBA. April 22, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ "USA SPORTS ANNOUNCES 2026 WNBA ON USA NETWORK SCHEDULE, HIGHLIGHTED BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT DOUBLEHEADERS, MARQUEE MATCHUPS AND 2026 WNBA FINALS GAMES". Versant Press Box. April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ Dachman, Jason (September 16, 2025). "VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate Grows". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  13. ↑ Awful Announcing Staff. "NBC reveals NBA schedule highlights, new WNBA Finals agreement". awfulannouncing.com. Awful Announcing. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  14. ↑ Drew Lerner. "WNBA Finals may air on Versant-owned network next season". awfulannouncing.com. Awful Announcing. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "WNBA Secures Landmark Media Rights Deals with the Walt Disney Company, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  16. ↑ Golden, Alex Sherman,Jessica (2026-06-17). "CNBC to wade further into live sports with 11 simulcast WNBA games". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-06-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Neumann, Sam (April 8, 2026). "Sophie Cunningham joins USA Sports as contributor for 2026 WNBA season". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  18. ↑ Deitsch, Richard (January 22, 2026). "USA Sports taps Elle Duncan as studio host for WNBA coverage". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  19. ↑ Neumann, Sam (April 19, 2026). "Terrika Foster-Brasby joins USA Network's WNBA coverage". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  20. ↑ "USA SPORTS WNBA COMMENTATORS TAMIKA CATCHINGS, CHAMIQUE HOLDSCLAW & KATE SCOTT AND COORDINATING PRODUCER TED BALLARD PREVIEW 2026 WNBA SEASON ON MEDIA ZOOM TRANSCRIPT". Versant Media. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  21. ↑ Malec, Brent (April 24, 2026). "Everything to Know About the 2026 WNBA Season on USA Network: How to Watch, Full Schedule & More". USA Network. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  22. ↑ Lerner, Drew (October 7, 2025). "USA Network names Kate Scott lead WNBA voice". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
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