ESPN Adds Athletes Unlimited Basketball to Broadcast Roster

More professional basketball is coming to television. ESPN and Athletes Unlimited, a network of professional women's sports leagues, signed a multi-year renewal deal that adds the pro basketball league to the network, which puts all four AU sports—basketball, softball, lacrosse and volleyball—on ESPN platforms. More than 70 live games across the four sports will air on linear networks in 2024, and the deal kicks off Feb. 29 with the start of the AU basketball season live from Dallas, with rosters including Olympians, WNBA All-Stars and WNBA champions. Athletes Unlimited launched in 2020 with a professional softball league and has since rapidly expanded. Though 2024 will see the least amount of basketball games on linear networks, that number is expected to grow. The addition of basketball to ESPN follows the massive success of the WNBA and women’s college hoops, which both saw record ratings last year. Plus, there's an Olympic year on the way, making sports marketing and viewership all the more important. “We just did a giant NCAA deal, and a big focal point are women’s sports in that, and specifically softball, volleyball, women’s lacrosse, basketball, gymnastics,” Dan Margulis, ESPN’s senior director of programming and acquisitions, told ADWEEK. “We’re trying to enhance all of our Olympic sports. [This] was a logical add and a natural evolution of our growth and our partnership.” In 2023, AU saw viewership grow 25% year over year for AU Pro Lacrosse on ESPN2 and ESPNU and a 38% year-over-year increase for AU Pro Softball on ESPNU. In 2024, 126 total AU games across all leagues will air on all networks, with 57 on ESPN linear networks. “This deal is incredibly important, because it provides the scale on linear that advertisers are really looking for,” said Jon Patricof, CEO and co-founder of AU. “Ultimately, the most significant business drivers for Athletes Unlimited and our focus is creating a world-class, scalable platform for advertisers and sponsors to reach sports fans.” The basketball league also has a rights deal with the WNBA, which will put 25 of the 30 basketball games on WNBA League Pass at no additional cost for subscribers. ‘Don’t Be Left Out:’ How the WNBA Is Building a Don’t-Miss Opportunity for Brands Adding basketball to the ESPN roster also gives advertisers additional places for inventory, as interest and viewership in women’s sports continue to explode. “We place a high priority on creating innovative and valuable activations within the broadcast for our partners,” Cheri Kempf, svp of AU and director of softball, told ADWEEK. “Our relationship with ESPN positions us perfectly to attract new partners interested in unique in-game options or traditional ad inventory placements." Those advertisers include the addition of Dick’s Sporting Goods as the presenting sponsor of the 2024 AU Pro Games at the Little League World Series in August, and the company expects brand interest to continue to grow with the new deal. “At the end of the day, national advertisers are looking for scale. The ability to offer linear exposure is an essential element of being the major sports property that Athletes Unlimited is and wants to continue to be,” said Patricof. “Our focus is really ensuring that we're delivering advertisers what they're looking for, and doing this hand in hand with ESPN. They've made such an effort at ESPN. They're obviously seeing great new partners come in and support women's pro sports and be eager to reach that audience, and we see the same thing.”

Programming & Performance

Exclusive: ESPN Adds Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball to Broadcast Roster

The multi-year renewal deal includes softball, volleyball and lacrosse

Mollie Cahillane

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Mollie Cahillane