By securing a multi-year broadcast rights agreement with Unrivaled, TNT Sports is entering women’s basketball a new women’s 3-on-3 basketball league. In addition to the broadcast deal, TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is backing the league by taking an equity stake.
The agreement, negotiated by former ESPN president John Skipper and ex-Turner chief David Levy, will bring Unrivaled games on Mondays and Fridays to TNT starting January 17. Additionally, Saturday games will air on TruTV, with all matchups available for streaming on the Max platform.
Luis Silberwasser, chairman & CEO of TNT Sports, said, “Our TNT Sports portfolio centers on premium live sports and our media and equity partnership with Unrivaled deepens our commitment to further expanding the depth of top tier women’s sports programming we offer our fans and presents an opportunity for us to shape and amplify the continued growth of women’s basketball.”
Notably, Unrivaled has quickly become one of the most talked-about startup sports leagues, fueled by the surge in women’s sports and its impressive lineup of WNBA all-stars, including co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. In a unique move, all players in the league will also receive equity.
Additionally, TNT Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery have been actively acquiring a variety of sports rights for both TNT and Max, including deals with the AEW wrestling circuit, college football, and a college basketball tournament centered around NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) athletes.
Alex Bazzell, Unrivaled president, said, “I think consistency is key for us. If you build a consistent home, the fans know where to go. The second side of this is you want to partner with someone who wants to tell the story outside of the games and help push that forward. So them having Bleacher Report and House of Highlights … is pretty valuable for us.”