WNBA inks TV deal in Sweden
Nice friday! Welcome to The Morning Post Up, a twice-weekly newsletter from Next. On September 29, an unassuming review in SportsBusiness was published. In just two lines of text, it confirmed that a Swedish TV company had acquired media rights to the WNBA. Details of the deal are shared Next revealed that the broadcaster, C More Entertainment, can now broadcast 16–18 regular season games and 9–14 playoff games, including all finals. C More also acquired rights to show the All-Star Game, as well as to use WNBA “content reels” and highlights in its programming.
From 2023, viewers in Sweden will be able to access the WNBA on the free-to-air channel TV12, as well as the paid channels Sportkanalen, Sjuan and the C More app. Video-on-demand options are also expected to be available. No indication was given as to whether WNBA League Pass would continue to be available in Sweden, although it is likely to remain available.
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“The NBA and WNBA are among the highest quality sports can produce, both in terms of performance on the court and production,” said Johan Cederqvist, head of pay channels and rights for the Telia Company, which includes TV4 and C More. “With the NBA now complimented by the WNBA for the first time, fans will be able to enjoy the best of both leagues for years to come.”
The WNBA did not offer comment Next about the deal at the time of publication.
Amanda Zahui is one of Sweden’s most decorated and recognized basketball players, and has represented Sweden on the international stage as a member of its national team. Zahui has played in the WNBA since 2016, first with the New York Liberty before moving to the Los Angeles Sparks, and has her sights set on returning in 2023. Zahui spoke with Next about bringing the WNBA to their home country.
“I was ecstatic about [the deal]Zahui told Next. “You don’t really see W in Sweden. So special to be a player, it’s really big.”
Outside of conversations with teammates and friends about the possibility of bringing the WNBA to Sweden, Zahui was not informed of the deal before the meeting with Next. That was confirmed by a league source Next that an announcement of the deal, which also included a renewal of rights for the NBA, was made on local channels in late September.
“I grew up watching the EuroLeague, when Sylvia Fowles and Simone Augustus and Becky Hammon and everyone went to Russia to play or when they played in Turkey, Zahui said. “But I think it will be fun for the new generation to actually see women play at the level that we do [in the WNBA] on TV.”
Zahui also talked about how the deal could ease the difficulty of accessing WNBA games across a six-plus-hour time difference.
“My mom has caught every single game since I was in school,” she said. “She goes to bed early, sets the alarm, wakes up, makes a cup of tea and then watches the game. My best friend does the same.”
“My younger cousins have League Pass, so they watch it if they’re up during the summer … but I think not everyone is aware of League Pass in Sweden,” she added. Zahui noted that she hopes increased access to the WNBA will attract viewers who might not have had the opportunity to purchase League Pass.
C More is no stranger to broadcasting American sports leagues. Since 2017, the broadcaster has aired a plethora of NBA regular season and playoff games across its pay and free channels. On September 22, just days before the WNBA deal, TV4 Media closed a deal with the NFL which will bring 130 games to viewers in Sweden and Finland. However, the broadcaster’s deal with the WNBA is the first with a major American women’s league.
Zahui also talked about the support women’s basketball has received in Sweden through the national team. “When it comes to basketball in Sweden and the national team, a lot of people actually traveled to see us play,” she said. “And when they can, they watched it on TV and it’s been a great response from that.”
“[The deal for TV coverage] also proves that we are moving in the right direction in terms of putting women out there,” Zahui said. “I think it’s really beautiful, that we actually recognize women and and the hard work that we put in … I don’t know how many people have asked me like, ‘When are you playing?’ Do they show it on TV? So I know this will be big for the basketball community in Sweden.”
Having gone through the Swedish club system himself, Zahui has remained connected to the Swedish basketball community. She described receiving messages and pictures from coaches and parents about bell parties for the national team and talked about what it would mean to bring more professional women’s basketball to Sweden.
“I have this vivid memory of sitting on the floor, my dad and my mum sitting on the sofa… and this game came on, the team had white and red stripes all right. Now I know it was Spartak Moscow, and [Pokey Chatman] was the head coach,” she explained. “So it was like Candice Dupree, Lauren Jackson, Sue BirdBecky Hammon, Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles … they were running out of introductions and lined up. And I was like, “What the hell are we watching?” And my dad said, “This is the EuroLeague, but the women’s side.”
“They zoomed in on Sylvia Fowles and I couldn’t say her name to save my life. So we just call her Flower at home, like that was her name … so every time the tall black American flower played, I looked on.”
“I was just so fascinated that all these players were so damn good … and then they started talking about like the WNBA and I was like, I have no idea what this is, but I’m going to play.”
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In combination with broadcasts of the EuroLeague, which will continue to be available via Nordic Entertainment’s V Sport, the opportunities to watch women’s basketball in Sweden only increase. In addition to increased opportunities for families with players to tune in, the chance that a potential new player will come across the WNBA and decide to take up the sport for themselves is much higher.
For Zahui, it was one last element that made the news special. “For my little nieces and nephews, they can’t get up at 4 in the morning,” she said. “I’m also their god mother, so for them to see their god mother playing on TV when I’m playing in America … it’s going to make me feel so happy.”
With the 2022-23 offseason just beginning, it has yet to be seen whether the WNBA will continue to pursue other international streaming deals. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently spoke with Yahoo Finance on the state of the league and bring the WNBA to global markets.
“I’ve … really admired what the NBA has done through their global gaming platform and how they’re turning these players into global stars,” Engelbert said. “Players are going overseas, and they’re well-known, and they’re household names outside of the United States. So we’ve announced a preseason game in Canada as a first step.”
Additionally, just weeks before the WNBA announcement, the Swedish Basketball Association announced the creation of Basketball TV, a new platform in collaboration with Solidsport that aims to gather all of Swedish basketball into one streaming platform. The success surrounding the sport, combined with its long history and vocal supporters like Zahui, only bodes well for the WNBA’s success in the country in 2023.
NCAA Roundup
Damages and updates to the list
- Vanderbilt: Kaylon Smith announced that she had been hit by one Achilles rupture causing her to miss the 2022–23 season. She is the team’s third starter to go with a major injury; Jordyn Cambridge announced a similar one Achilles injury in late August, while Iyana Moore suffered a ACL tear at the end of September.
In the neighborhood
Next tournaments to keep an eye on
- FIBA Melanesian Women’s Cup, Suva, Fiji. 26–28 October (Group Stage), 29–30 October (Knockout). Pacific/Fiji Time, 16 hours before ET. Schedule can be found herestreaming free at YouTube.com/c/FIBA. Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands will play for two places in the 2023 Pacific Games. The Pacific Games is the main qualifier for the 2023 Asia Cup Pre-Qualifier.
- WNBL pre-season games, 22–23 October before the season opening on 2 November.
- Bendigo Spirit — October 22 vs Southside Flyers
- Perth Lynx – October 22, 23 v Adelaide Lightning
- Streaming options unknown or unavailable (sigh)
Dish and swish
Latest results to know
SuperCup women. Bourges, France — Defending EuroCup champions Tango Bourges defeated defending EuroLeague champions Sopron Basket, 65-44. This is only the second time in the history of the game that the EuroCup team has won the match. Kayla Alexander was named the game’s MVP, after grabbing 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead Bourges in the win. Per FIBA, this is the first time a French club has won the SuperCup. The entire game is available for streaming EuroLeague YouTube channel.
EuroLeague, EuroCup qualifiers — On 2022–23 EuroLeague and EuroCup field is determined after the conclusion of the qualifying rounds. The regular season for both leagues begins next Wednesday, October 26. NextAntonio Losada has the latest on the road to the EuroLeaguewith more to come on Saturday, so stay tuned!