Headline To Go
Cover Story
Tech Talk
Boardroom Talks
Sneaker Game
Inside the Boardroom

About Boardroom

Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

Recent film and TV projects also under the Boardroom umbrella include the Academy Award-winning Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER (Apple TV+) and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime).

Boardroom’s sister company, Boardroom Sports Holdings, features investments in emerging sports teams and leagues, including the Major League Pickleball team, the Brooklyn Aces, NWSL champions Gotham FC, and MLS’ Philadelphia Union.

All Rights Reserved. 2022.
Media April 9, 2023
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung

WNBA & Amazon Have Mutual Interest in Renewing TV Rights Deal

Steph Chambers / Getty Images
Last Updated: July 1, 2023
Amazon is also the official streaming service of one of the most recognizable franchises in the WNBA, the Seattle Storm.

Two years ago, Amazon became the first streaming company with exclusive global streaming rights to a women’s professional sports league when it reached a deal with the WNBA to broadcast games on Prime Video.

The package included one game per week during the season, including the first-ever Commissioner’s Cup in-season competition and the tournament final. Now those rights are up, according to Marie Donoghue, Prime Video’s Vice President of Global Sports Video, and there’s mutual interest in re-signing with Amazon and continuing streaming the W around the world.

“I’m a huge fan of the WNBA personally, and our partnership with the WNBA at Amazon has been very successful,” Donoghue told Boardroom as part of our larger look at Prime Video’s growing sports media footprint. “We’re absolutely interested in expanding and continuing that relationship.”

Stay Ahead of the Game, Get Our Newsletters

Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.

While Amazon doesn’t comment on rights negotiations, Donoghue said it’s safe to assume it wants to extend its WNBA relationship. A league insider confirmed to Boardroom that the W is interested in expanding and continuing its relationship with Amazon leading up to the 2023 season tipping off on May 19.

The next day, the Seattle Storm host the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, with Amazon beginning its second season as the Storm’s official streaming service as one of the very few streamers to hold local broadcast rights in any major American professional sports league.

“We’ve been really happy and the team’s been happy,” Donoghue said. “Local fans are the most passionate, avid fans in sports. And we were offered the opportunity with the Storm, which wanted to ensure they were also reaching fans who don’t have pay TV. That’s where we can provide additional reach, and then that’s been quite successful.”

Suffice it to say, expect the WNBA to live on Prime Video both in Seattle and nationally in 2023 and beyond.

More WNBA Stories:

Shlomo Sprung

Shlomo Sprung is a Senior Staff Writer at Boardroom. He has more than a decade of experience in journalism, with past work appearing in Forbes, MLB.com, Awful Announcing, and The Sporting News. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2011, and his Twitter and Spotify addictions are well under control. Just ask him.

WNBAAmazonSeattle StormLas Vegas AcesPrime Video
About The Author
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung is a Senior Staff Writer at Boardroom. He has more than a decade of experience in journalism, with past work appearing in Forbes, MLB.com, Awful Announcing, and The Sporting News. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2011, and his Twitter and Spotify addictions are well under control. Just ask him.