Report: WNBA, Team Sponsorships For 2023 Season To Top Record $860M

By Barry Janoff

July 18, 2023: Fueled by the return of Brittney Griner, “super teams” such as the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, and young stars led by rookie Aliyah Boston, the WNBA is in the midst of a season during which sponsorships are estimated to reach a league record $860.1 million from 307 active sponsorship agreements.

There are 271 active sponsorship deals among the league's 12 clubs and their partners, with an estimated sponsorship value of $162.9 million per year.

Concurrently, the WNBA's 36 active partnerships are estimated to be worth $697.3 million for the 2023 season, with an average annual deal value of $19.36 million, according to the just-released Business of the Women's National Basketball Association Sponsorship and Media Landscape from GlobalData, a London-based research, analysis and solutions firm.

According to the report, “Not only are these partners providing financial investment, but they are further elevating the league and players through marketing amplification and close strategic collaboration.”

WNBA Changemakers include AT&T, CarMax, Deleite, Google, Nike and US Bank.

The WNBA, which opened the season with a multi-media “More Than.A Game” marketing campaign, said it has “achieved double-digit growth for partnership revenue this year, which is at an all-time 27-year high, season to date.”

Although making great strides on its own, “The WNBA and its clubs' significant annual sponsorship revenue figure can be attributed mainly to the league's affiliation with the NBA, with which it shares several partnerships,” according to Business of the WNBA report.

Despite its predicted record sponsorship, the WNBA is far behind NFL sponsorship revenue, which was put at $2.7 billion, and $1.64 billion for the NBA, according to global sports and entertainment intelligence platform SponsorUnited.

According to the GlobalData report, the Restaurant sector ranks as the most active sponsoring sector with 40 deals (13%) across the league.

Key sectors also include Automotive, Clothing and Accessories, Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Retail and Technology.

“Brands from U.S. are at the forefront of WNBA sponsorship landscape, accounting for 91% of the league's overall sponsorship portfolio in 2023 season,” per GlobalData’s report.

“The Washington Mystics stand out as the topmost WNBA franchise receiving highest investment from 47 sponsor brands in 2023 season. attracting nearly $72.3 million from different sectors brands.”

GlobalData said the WNBA's growing popularity and viewership has helped the league to position itself as a leader in social media followings among women’s sports. “The WNBA has a rising social media following with more than three times the size of the National Women's Soccer League,” per the report.

According to the WNBA, “The WNBA is on a record pace for video views across all its social media platforms with 155 million video views halfway through the season, which is 84% of the total video views the league amassed for the entire 2022 regular season (186 million in 2022).”

At its mid-season point, the WNBA said attendance is up 27% this season through the same number of games compared to last year. Also, combined viewership for the WNBA across its national networks — ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2 — is up 67% over last year, averaging 556,184 viewers.

In addition, the WNBA said overall sales of its merchandise at the NBA Store in New York are up 78% versus this season compared to the same time last year. Sales of merchandise at Dick’s Sporting Goods are up 68% compared to the same time last season, according to the league.

The WNBA, which just played its All-Star Game, has been very active in sponsorship and media deals during its 2023 season.

In May, the WNBA unveiled a multi-year partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment naming PlayStation the official console and marketing partner of the WNBA.

As part of the partnership, Sony Interactive Entertainment said PlayStation would “explore various marketing opportunities with the WNBA, starting with the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas (July 15).

“At PlayStation, we believe ‘play has no limits,’ and few cultural spaces have better defined that spirit than women’s sports and especially the WNBA,” Andrea Perez, Sony Interactive Entertainment svp-brand, product and services marketing, said via the company.

Also in May, CarMax signed to become its latest WNBA Changemaker through a new multiyear agreement and partnership renewal.

CarMax has been the official auto retailer of the WNBA and NBA since 2020.

CarMax said it would take a “multi-platform approach to its role as a WNBA Changemaker to help drive brand awareness and visibility for the WNBA and its athletes through impactful storytelling and brand building opportunities."

“WNBA athletes are powerful role models for today’s youth through their display of confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills, both on and off the court,” Sarah Lane, CarMax vp-marketing, said via the company.

In June, the WNBA unveiled a multi-year exclusive partnership with Discount Tire and one of its top selling brands, Continental Tire, which have been named the league’s “official tire retailer” and “official tire,” respectively.

In April, the WNBA signed a multi-year pact with The E.W. Scripps Company to televise games on Friday nights during the regular season as the first sports property to air on ION,

In May, State Farm unveiled an agreement E.W. Scripps to serve as title sponsor of "WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION" for the 2023 WNBA season, every Friday night from May 26 to Sept. 8.

WNBA games this season will air on platforms including ESPN, ABC, CBS, Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, Ion, NBA TV, Meta Horizon Worlds and Twitter.

‘Console-ation Prize’: WNBA Signs Multi-Platform Pact With Sony PlayStation

State Farm Joins ‘WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION. As Presenting Sponsor

Driving Diversity: WNBA Partner CarMax Enhances Role As League Changemaker

WNBA Rolls Into Exclusive Alliance With Discount Tire, Continental Tire

WNBA ’23: More Griner, Games, Google

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