GUIDE: How to Watch the WNBA on TV & Streaming
WNBA has never been better, emphasized by the arrival of a lucrative new deal that will see its funding quadrupled in 2025. The arrival of Caitlin Clark, love her or loathe her, has energized the sport and brought new fans, both young and old, into the fray. The season has raced past, and the thrilling finale will soon be upon us. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the game, this guide is designed to help you navigate the various ways to watch WNBA games, ensuring you don’t miss a moment of the action.
Key information
- 2024 Season Start/End Date: May 14th - October 20th, 2024
- Current Champions: The Las Vegas Aces (back-to-back titles)
- Reigning MVP: Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)
- 2024 WNBA Draft No.1 Pick: Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)
- TV Coverage: WNBA is accessible via a variety of different cable and streaming television services, which are detailed below.
Overview of Viewing Options
To tune into some, or all, of the 2024 WNBA season, you will need access to the following channels:
- ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3
- ABC
- CBS, CBS Sports Network
- NBA TV
- WNBA League Pass
- Amazon Prime Video
- ION
- Meta Quest
Detailed Comparison of Services
The long list of channels above may look confusing for someone trying to watch as much WNBA as possible, but this section of the article will simplify it as much as possible for you. Whilst there are a lot of channels listed, it isn’t as hard as you might think to find a package that gives you unrivaled access.
Cable and Satellite Options
For many, cable and satellite packages are still the preferred option. Almost all of the major providers will include ABC, ESPN, and CBS, to give you all the nationally broadcasted games, and the likes of DirecTV, DISH, Cox, Verizon Fios, Optimum, and Spectrum will all give you some of the additional channels needed as well. However, ION owns the rights to 40 Friday Night games and Amazon Prime is also getting 21 exclusive games. The streaming options we are going to go over next help to make up for this a bit, but unfortunately, anyone going down the cable or satellite route is going to find themselves at least 61 games short.
Despite the loss of some WNBA games, there are lots of benefits to going down the cable or satellite route. Primarily, because these services come with vast content and channel libraries, opening your doors to far more than just the WNBA. These will greatly upgrade your TV viewing experience and give you lots more sports, entertainment, news, and movies. From a sports perspective, all the options below give you access to NFL Network, Golf Channel (apart from Verizon Fios), and NHL Network.
- Cox: $61.00–$152.00/mo.
- DirecTV: $69.99–$159.99/mo
- Dish: $84.99-$114.99
- Verizon Fios: $85.00–$129.00/mo
- Optimum: $35.00 - $125.00/mo
- Spectrum: $39.99 - $74.99/mo
Streaming Services
When it comes to streaming services, there is a much bigger range of prices and options. These packages come with slightly smaller channel varieties, but the bonus of far more flexible contract options and easy add-ons. The standout options are FuboTV and YouTube TV, which both include NBA TV and CBS Sports Network as part of their packages, along with the national channels you need, ABC, ESPN, and CBS. Hulu and Sling TV are good services that will give you access to a large portion of the games, but the lack of both NBA TV and CBS Sports Network puts them behind the other two.
Please note, that none of these channels will give you access to the Amazon Prime games without an additional subscription.
- fuboTV: $79.99 per month
- YouTube TV: $72.99 per month
- Hulu with Live TV: $76.99 per month.
- SlingTV: $55 per month
For those people who are only interested in the WNBA and do not require a vast array of channels to choose from, WNBA League Pass is a very sensible option. This gives you access to every single out-of-market game live, and in-market games on demand, for just $34.99 a year, or $12.99 a month.
Editor’s Choice
With so many different channels showing the WNBA action, it is very important to make the right decision. For someone who wants to fully upgrade their television viewing experience, whilst ensuring as much access to WNBA as possible, we would recommend a combination of DirecTV and WNBA League Pass. DirecTV’s Satellite ‘Ultimate’ package ($114.99 a month) has over 340 channels, and the best possible access to regional sports networks (RSNs). This will ensure that you are set up as best as possible for in-market games, with League Pass then taking care of the out-of-market games that are shown on Amazon Prime, Ion, and ESPN3, as well as giving you bonus on-demand and analysis.
If you want to save a bit of money, then YouTube TV at $72.99 a month includes every single game, other than those shown on Amazon Prime. You get fewer channels than the DirecTV satellite route, but there are still 100 to choose from.
And finally, for those looking to keep it super simple or enjoy the WNBA on a budget, then WNBA League Pass is a no-brainer. $34.99 will get you access to all the out-of-market games, and any in-market games will be available on-demand soon after.
How to Watch the WNBA for Free
Accessing WNBA games for free largely hinges on having the correct broadcast networks available via antenna. If you are near an ABC, ESPN, or CBS station, then the right antenna will allow you to tune into their broadcasted games for free. The antenna itself may set you back around $30, but once it’s yours, there are no more fees to pay.
Another way to enjoy WNBA games for free is to utilize the generous free trials offered by the streaming services listed above. YouTube TV, Fubo TV, and Hulu, all offer free trials which can be used at certain points of the season to give you 5 or 7 days of free access. With the season being so long, you won't be able to enjoy the whole thing for free, but picking out your favorite matchups and timing it with the usage of a free trial would at least give you some women’s basketball action for free.
However, it is very important to remember to cancel the free trials before they end, otherwise, you will be charged.
Author: Venuse, Inc.