BROADERERS could face a major scheduling headache as the WNBA season approaches.
The Indiana Fever’s selection of NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark in the recent WNBA Draft made the season opener must-watch TV.
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One of the most highly regarded college stars in recent memory, Clark and Co. are scheduled to begin their regular season on May 14 against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN2, this could conflict with the second round of the NHL playoffs.
Last season, for example, the sixth game between the Western Conference’s Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers took place on the same day.
While the exact schedule for the 2024 Playoffs has not yet been released, should they conflict with the Fever, it could be up to ESPN to decide which game should take priority should it be awarded over the conflicting NHL game.
If the Fever are considered a higher priority, that could theoretically lead to them being moved to ESPN and the NHL being moved elsewhere.
ESPN has held part of the NHL’s broadcast rights since 2021, when The Walt Disney Company agreed to a seven-year deal, according to the New York Times.
The agreement stipulated that ESPN or ABC would broadcast 25 games as well as half of the Playoffs each season, as well as the Stanley Cup on four occasions.
It was also agreed that ESPN and Hulu would exclusively broadcast 75 games annually, while ESPN+ would take over content from NHL.TV.
As such, the streaming service would allow access to over 1,000 out-of-market games.
TNT also agreed to a seven-year deal with the NHL in 2021, agreeing to broadcast 72 regular-season games each season as well as the remaining three Stanley Cups, according to ESPN.
The Playoffs are split between the two broadcasters.
As for the WNBA, it appears that its broadcasting rights could undergo a major change in the coming years, as Professional sports media.
As things stand, the WNBA and NBA have a joint deal with ESPN that reportedly pays up to $40 million annually.
Along with this, they also have deals with Amazon Prime Video, CBS, and Ion Television.
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But with the WNBA’s popularity growing, largely thanks to the arrivals of Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, among others, in this year’s draft, the league is reportedly looking to capitalize.
The report stated that the WNBA is seeking up to $100 million in its next broadcast deal.
But while a new era of the WNBA begins in earnest on May 14, this won’t be the first time Clark has donned Fevers colors.
They are scheduled to face the Dallas Wings on May 3 in the first preseason game of the year.
This will be available to watch on League Pass.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
