The Women’s National Basketball Association is furthering its reach into Canada by signing media-rights deals with Sportsnet, TSN, and NBA TV Canada.
The league has described the expanded broadcast deal, which began June 28, as “the most expansive WNBA coverage ever in Canada.” The partnership covers 53 WNBA games during the 2019 season, of which TSN and Sportsnet will broadcast 11 and eight regular-season matches, respectively, as well as the WNBA All-Star Game.
The move follows unprecedented interest in basketball in Canada following the Toronto Raptors’ victory in the NBA Finals. In recent weeks, two tech entrepreneurs launched a bid to bring an WNBA team to Toronto.
“The popularity of basketball continues to grow in Canada and we’re looking forward to reaching a new audience of fans by airing a suite of WNBA games this season,” Sportsnet vice-president Rob Corte said in a statement.