ABC, ESPN ink WNBA deal
Walt Disney Co.'s ABC and ESPN, as expected, inked a six-year TV deal
Wednesday with the Women's National Basketball Association.
ABC and ESPN will air about 30 games per season.
When the Disney nets beat out NBC for the network portion of the NBA's TV
contact, the WNBA was expected to follow.
The NBA owns and operates the WNBA.
ABC will air Saturday afternoon games and some playoff games.
ESPN2 will air regular season and playoff action, the All Star game and the
WNBA Draft.
Women's net Oxygen last week unveiled a two-season deal for Tuesday night
WNBA games and some playoff coverage.
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ABC/ESPN's WNBA deal is a revenue-sharing deal.
The league is likely responsible for ad sales, while the networks handle
production and on-air promotion.