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The WNBA will expand its regular-season schedule from 44 games to 50 starting in 2027, the longest in the league's history, a move the league framed as a response to record demand but which tracks directly to its obligations under a media rights package worth more than $3 billion.
The announcement, made Wednesday, reflects a broader commercial calculus: more games mean more broadcast inventory for a rights portfolio that now spans ESPN, CBS, NBC, Amazon, ION and USA Sports.
Media Rights Math Behind the Expansion The schedule increase did not emerge from thin air.
It was made possible by the league's new collective bargaining agreement, which permits up to 50 regular-season games in both 2027 and 2028. A further step to 52 games per season could follow from 2029 onward.
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