Warner Bros. Discovery is making certain professional basketball will keep on TNT Sports activities.

Unmatched, the new and upcoming professional ladies’s basketball league, signed an unique, multiyear media rights deal to air its video games on TNT and truTV, in addition to streaming platform Max. Phrases of the deal have been undisclosed.

The three-on-three league was co-founded earlier this yr by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx as the recognition of ladies’s sports activities — basketball particularly — rises.

The WNBA received a lift this season from rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese — with large will increase in common season attendance and viewership. That has carried via to the postseason and most not too long ago the Finals, which characteristic each Collier and Stewart. That has even translated to adjustments to the WNBA’s season subsequent yr, which can increase from 40 video games to 44 video games, and its Closing sequence from 5 video games to seven video games.

Unmatched will function in a brand new format and within the months earlier than the WNBA season, permitting athletes one other choice to play basketball within the U.S. in the course of the offseason, relatively than having to play abroad. It’ll additionally give gamers fairness within the new league, and have contract alternatives that may supply the very best common wage in ladies’s professional sports activities league historical past.

Reese and different high WNBA gamers have confirmed they may play within the new league, together with Stewart and Collier.

Starting Jan. 17, there can be greater than 45 primetime common season matchups airing throughout TNT Sports activities platforms in the course of the season. Video games can be featured on TNT Sports activities’ platforms three nights every week, together with two video games every week on TNT on Mondays and Fridays, and extra broadcasts on truTV on Saturdays, based on the discharge.

Unmatched highlights and different content material can be even be out there on different TNT platforms equivalent to Bleacher Report and Home of Highlights.

In contrast to different sports activities leagues, Unmatched’s video games will air solely throughout TNT Sports activities relatively than having varied companions.

“I believe consistency is essential for us. For those who construct a constant house, the followers know the place to go,” mentioned Alex Bazzell, Unmatched president. “The second aspect of that is you wish to associate with somebody who needs to inform the story outdoors of the video games and assist push that ahead. So them having Bleacher Report and Home of Highlights … is fairly priceless for us.”

The heightened curiosity within the WNBA led to the league’s most up-to-date media rights deal being valued at $2.2 billion for 11 seasons, CNBC beforehand reported. The WNBA’s media rights deal is negotiated as a part of the NBA’s settlement.

The NBA’s current 11 yr, $77 billion media rights deal — which begins within the 2025-2026 season — with Amazon, Disney’s ESPN and Comcast’s NBCUniversal noticed the top of a virtually 40-year relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Sports activities. Warner Bros. Discovery has sued the NBA in a bid to keep up its rights.

The media rights take care of Unmatched provides Turner Sports activities the chance to maintain basketball on its air if it isn’t profitable in its lawsuit.

Unmatched and TNT Sports activities will associate with Mediapro North America for audio and TV manufacturing.

Star broadcaster and NBA Corridor of Famer Charles Barkley not too long ago mentioned he wouldn’t leave TNT Sports activities even when the corporate would not have NBA media rights sooner or later. Barkley is a part of TNT Sports activities’ common “Contained in the NBA” program.

TNT Sports activities will develop the pregame, postgame and different studio content material, however particular expertise has but to be determined upon, spokespeople for Turner and Unmatched mentioned.

TNT Sports activities has not too long ago beefed up its roster — which already contains Main League Baseball and the Nationwide Hockey League — with some school soccer playoff video games and The French Open, amongst different sports activities.

When Unmatched was introduced earlier this yr, it had simply closed on a seed fund rounding and its buyers included media executives equivalent to former ESPN President John Skipper, ex-Turner President David Levy, and former Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff. The buyers additionally included athletes like former NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony and others who invested via the enterprise capital agency led by Alex Morgan, the recently retired star and captain of the uswomen’s nationwide soccer workforce.

Levy, who invested via his Horizon Sports activities & Experiences, and Skipper spearheaded the media rights discussions.

TNT Sports activities has additionally agreed to speculate an undisclosed quantity in Unmatched’s newest funding spherical, which is predicted to shut in coming weeks.

The funding suits in with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s curiosity in doing sports activities offers that embody possession of mental property, which was earlier reported by CNBC.