WNBA makes the most of opening night with first-ever Disney+ simulcast

The GIST: The WNBA is looking to leverage all available tools to build interest in the game, and that means taking a winning move out of the men’s sports playbook. ESPN announced yesterday that for the first time ever, the WNBA’s opening night doubleheader will be available on Disney+ in addition to streaming on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The details: The two May 14th Disney+ matchups each feature one of the WNBA’s most popular teams: the Las Vegas Aces — dubbed StubHub’s most in-demand team after becoming the first to sell out season tickets — and the Indiana Fever, who have seen historic interest thanks to the addition of Caitlin Clark.

The strategy: Although the majority of American Disney+ subscribers (65%) don’t live in households with children, 45% of Disney+ users in the U.S. are under 18 years old, the most active demographic on the platform. And since Clark has been credited for inspiring an entire generation of kids, it’s a smart move for the WNBA to meet these young fans where they are.

The context: Since 2021, the NFL has been cultivating the next generation of fans by teaching them the complexities of football in a fun, relatable way: with Spongebob and slime cannons. CBS kicked off the kid-friendly sports simulcast trend with its NFL on Nickelodeon broadcast during the 2021 NFL Playoffs, becoming a hit with young viewers and millennials alike.

• Its success prompted other networks to do the same, such as ESPN’s 2023 Toy Story simulcast. And it worked: 4% more viewers aged 2 to 11 and 5% more fans aged 12 to 17 tuned into these broadcasts. The NFL’s four Nickelodeon broadcasts averaged 900K viewers, and the Toy Story simulcast was the biggest live event to date for Disney+.

Zooming out: The W knows its fans are young, diverse, and tech-savvy, and now that the league is gaining access to elite broadcast resources, it’s thinking about how to best reach them. Plus, women’s basketball has an advantage over other sports: it already has highly coveted Gen Z viewers.

• A Disney+ broadcast also positions the W to make headway with Gen Alpha, a generation that may be even more purpose-driven and gender-conscious than their progressive Gen Z predecessors. Offense is the best defense.