Amazon and WNBA reach multi-year deal to stream 16 regular-season games and Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game on Prime Video
SEATTLE – Today, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced a multi-year agreement giving Prime Video exclusive global streaming rights to 16 WNBA games per season, as well as the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game on Sunday, August 12. Prime Video’s WNBA coverage tips off on Saturday, May 29, as the Atlanta Dream travel to the Big Apple to take on the New York Liberty. The deal, featuring a WNBA game each week during the regular season, marks the first time Prime Video has exclusive global streaming rights to a women’s professional sports league with the matchup between Atlanta and New York being the first time Prime Video has exclusive international streaming rights to a professional basketball game.
“The WNBA is one of the premier professional sports leagues in the world and serves as an inspiration to millions of young and aspiring athletes everywhere,” said Marie Donoghue, vice president of Global Sports Video at Amazon. “I am delighted we are bringing these outstanding athletes and games to Prime Video.”
The first nine games airing on Prime Video this season are part of the WNBA’s inaugural Commissioner’s Cup, which is an in-season competition that designates a portion of regular-season games—10 games per team—as Cup play. The team from each conference with the top record in designated Cup games will then compete for The Commissioner Cup Championship and a special prize pool. The Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game will be presented exclusively on Prime Video on August 12, following the conclusion of the Summer Olympics. The remaining games on Prime Video are in the second half of the regular season after the conclusion of Commissioner’s Cup play.
“Innovative competitions require exceptional partners, and we’re thrilled that Amazon will be streaming a WNBA game of the week and our inaugural Commissioner’s Cup Championship this year,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “We’re grateful for Amazon’s support in increasing visibility and expanding access to our fans to more games on more devices, and we’re honored to be the first professional basketball league streamed on Prime Video as part of a Prime membership.”
The WNBA on Prime Video will be available across hundreds of compatible devices worldwide as part of a Prime membership (excluding China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Finland, and Germany). Prime Video games will be distributed in the participating teams’ markets through the teams’ local distribution partners.
Schedule of 2021 WNBA Games on Prime Video
• Saturday, May 29 – Atlanta @ New York, 2 p.m. ET
• Friday, June 4 – Dallas @ Seattle, 10 p.m. ET
• Saturday, June 12 – Chicago @ Indiana, 1 p.m. ET
• Wednesday, June 16 – Phoenix @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. ET
• Tuesday, June 22 – Chicago @ New York, 7 p.m. ET
• Wednesday, June 30 – Las Vegas @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. ET
• Thursday, July 1 – Connecticut @ Indiana, 7 p.m. ET
• Wednesday, July 7 – Phoenix @ Las Vegas, 10 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 10 – Washington @ Chicago, 8 p.m. ET
• Tuesday, August 17 – Minnesota @ Connecticut, 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, August 20 – Seattle @ New York, 7 p.m. ET
• Thursday, August 26 – Dallas @ Washington, 7 p.m. ET
• Tuesday, August 31 – New York @ Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET
• Thursday, September 2 – New York @ Seattle, 10 p.m. ET
• Tuesday, September 7 – Connecticut @ Dallas, 8 p.m. ET
• Thursday, September 16 – Los Angeles @ Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET
Schedule subject to change.
About the WNBA
Entering its 25th season in 2021, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women’s basketball – and women’s sports overall – with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league’s new partnership platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&T, the WNBA’s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and Nike, and the recent addition of Google. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.
For more information, visit WNBA.com.
About Prime Video Sports
Prime Video supports a growing line-up of live sports globally, including Thursday Night Football, the New York Yankees, and Seattle Sounders FC in the United States; Premier League in the United Kingdom; U.S. Open Tennis, ATP, and WTA in the United Kingdom and Ireland; UEFA Champions League football in Germany and Italy; Roland Garros in France; Australian Swimming globally; and New Zealand Cricket in India. While availability varies by marketplace, fans can also subscribe to streaming services such as Eurosport, LaLigaTV, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, NBA TV, and PGA TOUR LIVE through Prime Video Channels. This is in addition to a selection of Amazon Original All or Nothing sports docuseries including All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur and All or Nothing seasons with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, and Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the NCAA’s Michigan Wolverines. All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs and All or Nothing: Juventus are also coming to Prime Video later this year. For more information, visit amazon.com/primevideo and follow @SportsOnPrime on Twitter and Instagram.
Prime Video is just one of many shopping and entertainment benefits included with a Prime membership, along with fast, free shipping on millions of Prime-eligible items at Amazon.com, unlimited photo storage, exclusive deals and discounts, and access to ad-free music and Kindle eBooks. To sign up or start a 30-day free trial of Prime, visit amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.