NEW YORK, NY. – The WNBA today announced the schedule of games to be broadcast and streamed nationally on the CBS Television Network/Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network, ION, NBA TV, Prime Video, Meta and Twitter during the 2023 regular season, set to tip off on Friday, May 19.
The television and streaming schedule for the league’s 27th season includes broadcasts and streams across CBS Television Network/Paramount+ and the CBS Sports Network (40 games), ION (44), NBA TV (43), Prime Video (21), Meta (20) and Twitter (12). Coupled with the 25 national broadcasts across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 announced in March, a total of 205 live broadcasts and streams will be offered from opening day through the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10.
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In addition, ESPN platforms will broadcast every game of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google, which will feature up to 27 games, including the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV.
The current national television and streaming schedule can be found here.
“Providing our passionate, growing fan base with increased opportunities to view WNBA games and related content across traditional as well as streaming and social platforms continues to be a primary focus,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “And we are doing just that from tip-off weekend in May through our postseason in October as our broadcast and streaming partners continue to offer an enormous national platform for WNBA players and fans. Following an offseason of unprecedented player movement, we are extremely pleased to announce the full 2023 broadcast and streaming schedule, and we’re not done yet as we will continue to look for innovative and creative ways to shape the WNBA fan experience and the landscape of media and content consumption.”
In its fifth year of WNBA coverage, CBS Sports, which will continue to stream games on Paramount+, will present 40 total games, including four weekend match ups on the CBS Television Network. That four-game package tips off with a clash of East Coast rivals meeting on Saturday, May 27 (1 p.m.) when the New York Liberty host the Connecticut Sun. The Liberty added 2021 Kia WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart and six-time league assists leader Courtney Vandersloot to a roster that already included 2022 All-WNBA selection and 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick, Sabrina Ionescu, and the Sun are led by 2022 WNBA All-Star Brionna Jones and fellow All-Star Alyssa Thomas, who posted a WNBA-record four triple-doubles across the 2022 regular season and postseason.
CBS Sports Network tips off its schedule on Thursday, May 25 (10 p.m. ET), when the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces visit the Los Angeles Sparks. The Aces’ roster includes 2022 award winners Chelsea Gray (WNBA Finals MVP and Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game MVP), Kelsey Plum (All-WNBA First Team and All-Star Game MVP), A’ja Wilson (Kia WNBA MVP and Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year) and Jackie Young (Kia WNBA Most Improved Player), along with free agent acquisition Candace Parker, a two-time MVP and two-time league champion. The Sparks’ revamped roster includes 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike and veteran acquisitions Azurá Stevens and Jasmine Thomas.
Coverage by new partner ION, which reaches every U.S. television household over-the-air and on all major pay TV and connected TV services, will feature “WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION.” With two windows on Friday nights over a 15-week period from May 26 to Sept. 8, the Friday night schedule includes games that will be available nationally as well as games made available on a regional basis.
ION will begin its slate of national games with a doubleheader on May 26. The first game will see 2021 WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper and the Chicago Sky host two-time Kia WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, two-time WNBA All-Star Ariel Atkins and the Washington Mystics (8 p.m. ET). In the nightcap, four-time WNBA All-Star and two-time champion Jewell Loyd and the Seattle Storm host the Dallas Wings, led by Arike Ogunbowale, one of the league’s top scorers in each of the past four seasons, and newly acquired WNBA All-Stars Diamond DeShields and Natasha Howard (10 p.m. ET).
Marking its 21st consecutive year of WNBA coverage, NBA TV will tip off the league’s national television schedule and its own slate of 43 games beginning on opening night, Friday May 19, when the Mystics host the Liberty (7 p.m. ET). Then, on Sunday, May 28, NBA TV will present a matchup of some of the league’s brightest young stars when 2022 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard and the Atlanta Dream host the Indiana Fever, whose roster features Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, and 2022 WNBA All-Rookie Team members NaLyssa Smith (3 p.m. ET).
Prime Video, in its third season of WNBA coverage, will stream 21 games across the regular season, including the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game presented by Coinbase on Tuesday, Aug. 15, from the arena of the team with the best record in Commissioner’s Cup play. The Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase, an in-season competition that designates a portion of regular-season conference games in the first half of the season (10 per team) as “Commissioner’s Cup games,” provides added incentive for players with a half million dollars in prize money on the line and enhanced conference rivalries for fans to enjoy.
Prime Video will commence its schedule of WNBA action on Thursday, May 25, when the Phoenix Mercury, led by WNBA career scoring leader Diana Taurasi and two-time Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner, host the Minnesota Lynx, whose roster features Napheesa Collier, the 2019 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year, and Diamond Miller, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2023 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm (10 p.m. ET).
In 2023, the WNBA and partners Meta and Twitter will continue to deliver programming to fans via their live streaming platforms.
Meta, now in its fourth straight year streaming WNBA action, will feature 20 games via its Meta Quest platforms, including the Meta Quest VR Headsets in Horizon Worlds and in the XTADIUM App. Live game action on Meta will tip off with a pair of games during the league’s opening weekend. In the first game, Minnesota hosts Chicago on opening night, Friday, May 19 (8 p.m. ET). Two days later, on Sunday, May 21, Meta will stream all the action when Indiana visits New York (2 p.m. ET).
Twitter will offer a 12-game slate via #WNBATwitterLive, with those same games also available on Meta Horizon Worlds. In addition to its live streaming of game action, #WNBATwitterLive will provide real-time game highlights and postgame interviews.
WNBA League Pass, featured on the redesigned WNBA app, will also provide more than 150 live games (local blackouts apply) to subscribers and all games on demand to subscribers.
The 2023 regular season features a record-high 40 games per team, providing fans greater opportunities to see the best players in the world compete at the highest level.
Additional Highlights of the Full WNBA Broadcast and Streaming Schedules
- With their All-Star laden rosters, New York and Las Vegas will be featured prominently. Thirty-eight of the Liberty’s 40 games will be showcased by the WNBA’s national partners – ESPN Platforms (9), ION (8), CBS Television Network (2), CBS Sports Network (4), NBA TV (6), Prime Video (5), and Meta (4, including two also on Twitter). Thirty-two of the Aces’ games will be similarly high profile with coverage by CBS Networks (10), ESPN Platforms (7), Prime Video (6), NBA TV (5), and ION (4).
- Phoenix’s Taurasi, the league’s career points leader (9,693) and Las Vegas’ Parker, who ranks first among active players in rebounds (3,370) and second in points (6,412), will meet three times – on Wednesday, June 21 (NBA TV, 3:30 p.m. ET), Tuesday, July 11 (CBS Sports Network, 10 p.m. ET) and Friday, Sept. 8 (ION, 10 p.m. ET).
- New York’s Jones will face her former team, Connecticut, four times, with each game presented nationally by a different partner – Saturday, May 27 (CBS, 1 p.m.), Tuesday, June 27 (NBA TV, 7 p.m. ET), Thursday, Aug. 24 (Prime Video, 7 p.m.) and Friday, Sept. 1 (ION, 7:30 p.m. ET).
- New York’s Stewart will face her former team, Seattle, in three national broadcasts – on Tuesday, May 30 (ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET), Sunday, July 2 (CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m. ET) and Saturday, July 8 (ESPN, 1:30 p.m. ET).
- Indiana’s Boston and Minnesota’s Miller, the No. 1 and 2 picks, respectively, in the 2023 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, will meet four times, with two of those matchups coming on Thursday, Aug. 10 (Prime Video, 7 p.m. ET) and on the final day of the season, Sunday, Sept. 10 (Meta, 1 p.m. ET).
- Las Vegas and Connecticut, who met in the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube last year, will square off three times in the 2023 regular season with two of those contests carried nationally – on Thursday, June 8 (Prime Video, 7 p.m. ET) and Saturday, July 1 (ABC, 3 p.m. ET).
- Washington and Las Vegas, the only teams with active, multi-time MVP winners – the Mystics’ Delle Donne and the Aces’ Parker and Wilson – will be showcased in head-to-head matchups on Friday, Aug. 11 (ION, 10 p.m. ET) and Saturday, Aug. 26 (NBA TV, 7 p.m. ET).
- Curt Miller, in his first year as head coach of the Sparks after leading the Sun to the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV in 2019 and 2022, will face his former team in a pair of national games – returning to Connecticut for the first time on Sunday, Aug. 27 (CBS Sports Network, 1 p.m. ET) and hosting the Sun on Tuesday, Sept. 5 (Meta, 7 p.m. ET).
Highlights of the ESPN Platforms’ Coverage announced in March
- ESPN Platforms’ coverage of WNBA Tip-Off Presented by CarMax includes four marquee games on opening weekend, starting on Friday, May 19, when the Mercury visit the Sparks (ESPN and ESPN+, 11 p.m. ET). ABC will then present a doubleheader the following day featuring Atlanta at Dallas (1 p.m. ET) and Las Vegas at Seattle (3 p.m. ET). ESPN wraps its opening weekend coverage on Sunday, May 21 when Chicago visits Phoenix (ESPN and ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET).
- History will be made on Saturday, July 15 when the 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas airs for the first time in primetime on ABC (8:30 p.m. ET). Prior to that, the Starry WNBA Three-Point Contest and Kia WNBA Skills Challenge will air on ESPN on Friday, July 14 at 4 p.m. ET.
- Connecticut and Las Vegas, who met in the 2022 WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, will be featured on ABC on Saturday, July 1 (3 p.m. ET).
- WNBA Countdown presented by Google – ESPN’s pregame show introduced during the 2022 WNBA postseason –will now be available throughout the regular season with at least 10 editions immediately preceding game broadcasts.
Highlights of the CBS Sports Networks’ Coverage
- After tipping off its four-game slate of over-the-air broadcasts on CBS with the Sun at the Liberty on May 27, CBS will deliver an action-packed weekend in June when Seattle visits Dallas on Saturday, June 17 (2 p.m. ET) and Phoenix is at New York the following day (noon ET). CBS also will broadcast Phoenix at Washington on Sunday, July 23 (1 p.m. ET).
- Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix are tied for the most appearances on CBS platforms with 10 each. The Aces and Sparks will meet twice on CBS Sports Network – in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 25 (10 p.m. ET) and again on Wednesday, July 12 (10 p.m. ET). The Mercury visits the Aces on Tuesday, July 11 (10 p.m. ET).
- Seattle has eight games on CBS platforms, the second-highest total.
- In addition to its two games on CBS, New York will be highlighted four times on CBS Sports Network – at home vs. Chicago on Sunday, June 4 (2 p.m. ET) and Atlanta on Tuesday, June 13 (8 p.m. ET), and on the road at Seattle on Sunday, July 2 (6 p.m. ET) and at Dallas on Tuesday, Sept. 5 (8 p.m. ET).
Highlights of the ION Schedule
- The WNBA is the first sports property to air on ION and ION’s 44 games – all on Friday nights – are the most for any broadcaster or streamer during the 2023 regular season.
- “WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION” includes three Fridays with five games – June 9, Aug. 18 and Sept. 8 – and another three Fridays with four games – June 2, July 7 and Aug. 4.
- Washington’s 12 games on ION are the most of any team on any platform; Chicago and Dallas have the second-most games on ION (10), followed by Atlanta (9) and New York (8).
- New York’s Vandersloot, who helped Chicago to two appearances in the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, including a WNBA championship in 2021, will square off against her former team twice on ION – on Friday, June 2 (6 p.m. ET) and Friday, Aug. 11 (7:30 p.m. ET).
Highlights of the NBA TV Schedule
- NBA TV’s 43-game schedule is the second largest for any platform.
- With a particular focus on the race to the playoffs, NBA TV is for the second year in a row delivering more games (29) than any other network following the 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game on July 15.
- The network will present three doubleheaders – on Tuesday, June 20 (Atlanta at Dallas, 8 p.m. ET and Connecticut at Seattle, 10 p.m. ET), on Sunday, Aug. 20 (Dallas at Washington, 3 p.m. ET and Connecticut at Chicago, 5 p.m. ET) and on Sunday, Aug. 27 (Atlanta at Indiana, 4 p.m. ET and Dallas at Phoenix, 6 p.m. ET).
- Young, talented Indiana will be the focus of 10 games on NBA TV. Seattle and Washington will each be featured nine times, with Atlanta and Phoenix each showcased eight times.
- In addition to their matchup in Atlanta on Sunday, May 28 on NBA TV, the Dream’s Rhyne Howard and Fever’s Boston, the No. 1 overall picks in the last two drafts, respectively, will meet on Sunday, Aug. 27 (4 p.m.) when NBA TV shifts the spotlight to Indiana.
Highlights of the Prime Video Streaming Schedule
- The WNBA on Prime Video is available across hundreds of compatible devices worldwide as part of a Prime membership (excluding China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy). Prime Video games are distributed in the participating teams’ markets through the teams’ local broadcast partners.
- With all 20 of Prime Video’s regular-season games set to air on Thursday evenings, Connecticut is scheduled to appear the most times (7), with Las Vegas having the next highest number of appearances (6).
- The two teams with the most 2022 All-Stars on their rosters – Las Vegas with Parker, Plum, Wilson and Young, and New York with Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Stewart and Vandersloot – will be featured on Prime Video twice from Las Vegas, first on Thursday, June 29 (10 p.m. ET) and again Thursday, Aug. 17 (10 p.m. ET). Those two games also will shine an extra spotlight on Parker, the league’s active rebounds leader whose 3,370 boards rank third in league history, and Vandersloot, the active assists leader whose 2,387 assists also rank third all-time.
Highlights of the Meta Schedule
- In advance of the 2023 regular season, Meta and the WNBA announced a multiyear partnership extension that will feature the streaming of 20 live games per season on Meta Quest platforms.
- Through the expanded partnership, Meta, an Official Marketing Partner of the WNBA, becomes the Official VR Headset of the league.
- Minnesota has the most appearances on Meta (8); Indiana has the next highest total (6).
- Meta will wrap up its coverage on the final day of the regular season, Sunday, Sept. 10, when Minnesota plays at Indiana (1 p.m. ET).
Highlights of the Twitter Schedule
- Fans’ tweets about their favorite teams will be incorporated into Twitter’s livestreams during game action.
- Eleven teams will have games presented via #WNBATwitterLive, with three appearances each by Dallas, Indiana and Minnesota.
- Twitter tips off its 12-game slate with two games in the season’s opening week – on Sunday, May 21 when Indiana visits New York (2 p.m. ET) and on Tuesday, May 23 when Atlanta is at Minnesota (8 p.m. ET).
- As the race for playoff spots and seedings comes down to the wire, Twitter will wrap up its 2023 coverage on Tuesday, Sept. 6, when it delivers Los Angeles at Connecticut (7 p.m.).