With all the new rights deals in sports, there is one commonality; the roster of streaming subscriptions you need to watch games.
So how much does it cost to watch every game of your favorite WNBA team? Here at Storied Sports, we decided to conduct a little experiment. How much would it be to follow your team for a season?
I used my New York Liberty as an example. The team is on nine national platforms this season: Ion, Amazon Prime, NBC, Peacock, USA, CBS, NBATV, ESPN, ABC. NINE. (Then, locally here in the tri-state, you also have My 9 and FOX5.) That’s a lot to navigate. And a lot to subscribe to.
So how much would it cost to subscribe to everything?
First off, there is a WNBA League Pass. It’s just $39.99 a year and there’s a 40% discount for students in the U.S. Sweet!
But, watch out, there are a lot of carve outs.
Checking the fine print, nationally televised games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Amazon Prime Video, NBATV, NBC, Peacock and USA Network aren’t included in League Pass. Not sweet.
If you want to watch games after they are over, it’s a great option. But, then, they are over and we all know sports is the best real-time drama.
For almost all of those broadcasters, here in NY my local cable company is a good option. The Extra TV package at $130 a month should do it. But, alas, it doesn’t include 3 of the networks I need. For those - Amazon Prime is $14.99/month or $139/year, Peacock is $10.99/month or $109.99/year and NBA TV $19.99/month. My head hurts.
If my math is correct, it will cost me $175.97 per month to watch all Liberty games, which for a five-month season is $879.85. I love basketball but my dog also loves food.
Being creative, I could stagger all but the cable package and save a little money. Then I’d need Prime for May, July and August, NBA TV for June, July and August, and Peacock for May, August and September. Reminder to set multiple calendar alerts.
In the past, discoverability was a problem for women’s sports, now games are available everywhere which is a great development. But cost is the issue.
The grand total for me to follow my Liberty live all season long, with creativity: $787.91.
Let's be clear, money well spent.
