The WNBA enters a new era of expansion and record-breaking viewership
In short: The 2025 WNBA season marks a transformative chapter for the league. With the arrival of the Golden State Valkyries—the first expansion team since 2008—and a historic shift to a best-of-seven Finals format, the league is scaling to meet unprecedented demand and a massive new broadcast landscape.
The 2025 season represents a significant structural evolution for the WNBA. The league expanded to 13 teams with the introduction of the Golden State Valkyries, following a 2024 expansion draft where the new franchise selected one player from twelve existing teams, excluding the Seattle Storm. This expansion follows a long period of stability, as the Valkyries are the first new addition since the Atlanta Dream joined in 2008.
On the court, the competitive stakes have reached new heights. For the first time in league history, the WNBA Finals utilized a best-of-seven format, culminating in a championship victory for the Las Vegas Aces over the Phoenix Mercury on October 10. This competitive intensity is matched by growing public interest; for instance, a preseason exhibition between the Indiana Fever and Brazil's national team drew an average of 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, making it the third most-viewed preseason game on the network since 2010.
The league is also modernizing its governance and media presence. To address social challenges, the WNBA launched the 'No Space for Hate' task force, which employs AI-powered technology to monitor social media and protect players. Simultaneously, the media landscape is shifting toward massive scale. While the 2025 season concludes the current broadcast agreements with ESPN, Ion, CBS Sports, and Amazon, it paves the way for new 11-year deals starting in 2026 with a suite of major networks including NBC Sports and USA Network.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 2025 WNBA season
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