Caitlin Clark, Fever highlight ABC's growing WNBA broadcast schedule

Season-opening rivalry games between Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever and Angel Reese's Chicago Sky, as well as the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, will air nationally on ABC as part of the network's growing slate. The games highlighted the 2025 WNBA broadcast schedule the league released on Thursday.

The Disney/ESPN family of networks will air 26 games, one more than it has in previous seasons, and a new high of 13 will air on its traditional broadcast network, ABC. The previous high was nine, which it tied a year ago. The totals include the summer's All-Star Game.

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Clark and the Fever, who were active in free agency signing veteran championship talent, will play in five of those ABC games and in three of eight games airing on CBS. Two of the CBS games are the first WNBA regular-season games to air in prime time on network television, the league said.

Marquee Fever games

May 17: vs. Sky, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
May 24: vs. Liberty, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
June 7: at Sky, 8 p.m. ET, CBS
June 14: vs. Liberty, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
July 13: vs. Wings, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
July 27: at Sky, 2 p.m. ET, ABC
Aug. 3: at Storm, 12 p.m. ET, ABC
Aug. 9: vs. Sky, 8 p.m. ET, CBS

All five of the Fever's contests against the Sky will air nationally on CBS, ABC and ION, which airs doubleheaders for appointment viewing on Friday nights. The linear network will air 50 games, the most of any WNBA broadcast partner. The first meeting between Clark and the Dallas Wings, who hold the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft and are projected to select UConn's Paige Bueckers, will be played on ION on June 27.

In all, 41 of Indiana's 44 games will air nationally, including 10 on ABC/ESPN and eight on ION. Six different networks set viewership records airing Fever games in Clark's rookie season. Three of those games involved the Sky with a peak of 2.3 million on ESPN. Twenty-three WNBA games surpassed 1 million views a year ago and 20 of them involved the Fever. Opposing teams have already moved their games against the Fever to larger arenas to support more ticket sales.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will feature prominently on national TV in 2025. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It is the final year of the old media rights deal. The WNBA, Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC came to an 11-year deal worth a reported $200 million a year that will go into effect in 2026. The Commissioner's Cup will air on Prime Video.

Liberty, Aces highlight national TV schedule

The Liberty and Aces, who combined to win the past three titles, will feature prominently on national TV. The reigning champion Liberty will be in 32 games. The Aces, after adding Jewell Loyd in a trade that sent Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles, will appear in 33 nationally televised or streamed games. All three of their rematches (May 17, July 8, Aug. 13) will air on ABC or ESPN.

The 2024 Finals rematches between the Liberty and Minnesota Lynx that went a full five games will receive national treatment. Their four games will air once each on ESPN, ABC, CBS and NBA TV.

Bueckers, Valkyries debuts

The Wings host Finals runner-up Minnesota on opening night in what could be Bueckers' debut. The game will air on ION. Dallas finished 11th of 12 teams and will play largely on ION and NBA TV. In addition to its July game at Indiana airing on ABC, the Wings will play on ABC again in August when they face the Aces.

The Golden State Valkyries, the first expansion team since the Dream in 2008, will make their debut on ION during the three-game opening night. Golden State will host Los Angeles. They host the Aces on ABC in June and play at the Aces on CBS the following month.

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