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Caitlin Clark is going to make the WNBA a lot of money.
Two weeks ago, Clark revealed that she planned to leave Iowa and would enter the WNBA draft.
“While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last on at Iowar. I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA draft.”
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) February 29, 2024
The WNBA is currently negotiating its next media rights deal and is using Clark’s arrival as leverage in talks with media companies.
According to a report from Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy, one former ESPN exec believes the WNBA will try to get $20-$40 million more in their next media rights deal because of Clark.
With Iowa's @caitlinclark22 joining @wnba, women's pro basketball league could score 33%-67% spike in overall media rights fees, says @JKosner.
“Caitlin Clark is most unusual athlete who brings fans to the sport for the first time," Kosner tells @FOS.https://t.co/rlVlOiUT84
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) March 20, 2024
The WNBA currently earns about $60 million annually from its TV and streaming deals with ABC-ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, CBS, and ION. With excitement building around Clark and women’s March Madness, the league will try to push its annual media-rights payout to between $80 million and $100 million, predicts former ESPN executive John Kosner. ABC-ESPN generates about two-thirds of the WNBA’s annual rights revenue on a deal that will, like the NBA’s, expire after the 2024–’25 season.
The WNBA is so confident about Clark’s star power that they are willing to separate from the NBA’s deal with ESPN and pursue their own deal elsewhere.
NEWS: Move over NBA. With @CaitlinClark22 turning pro, the value of @WNBA's media rights are rising.
WNBA believes its current deal is undervalued. If WNBA doesn't get what it thinks its worth during joint negotiations with ESPN, it might seek its own deal, sources tell @FOS.
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) March 19, 2024