Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The WNBA hopes to find new bounce when it starts a line-up of Friday-night games on the broadcast network ION.
The pact is part of a new deal struck between E.W. Scripps, which purchased ION in 2020 for $2.65 billion and brings live sports to the outlet for the first time since it launched in 1998 as Pax TV, then under the aegis of Paxson Communications.
And it suggests a new model for sports leagues hoping to navigate an era in which the traditional sports model — reaching fans via national and regional cable — is facing challenges.
The deal will give the WNBA more audience reach, with an “appointment viewing” event each Friday, says Colie Edison, the WNBA’s chief growth officer, in an interview.
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