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With rookie sensation Caitlin Clark set to make her professional debut in May, the Indiana Fever has reached a deal with the owner of two Indianapolis TV stations to broadcast 17 of the WNBA franchise’s 40 regular season games.
The games will be televised free of charge on either WTHR-TV Channel 13 or WALV-CD Channel 46, which is 13.3 on digital services and known locally for MeTV programming. The stations are owned by media firm Tegna Inc., based in Tysons, Virginia.
“This is an exhilarating moment for women’s sports,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO of Tegna, in a media release on Monday morning. “The WNBA and Fever are leading the charge with this groundbreaking local broadcast rights agreement. … The remarkable journey of Caitlin Clark and her teammates has captured the hearts and minds of millions. We’re thrilled to deliver all the Fever action to every household in the Indianapolis region.”
The schedule of the televised games is as follows:
May 16: Fever vs. New York, 7 p.m., WTHR
May 22: Fever at Seattle, 10 p.m., WTHR
May 25: Fever at Las Vegas, 9 p.m., WTHR
May 30: Fever vs. Seattle, 7 p.m., WTHR
June 1: Fever vs. Chicago, 1 p.m., WALV
June 2: Fever at New York, 7 p.m., WALV
June 10: Fever at Connecticut, 7 p.m., WTHR
June 13: Fever vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m., WTHR
June 23: Fever at Chicago, 6 p.m., WALV
June 27: Fever at Seattle, 10 p.m., WALV
July 10: Fever vs. Washington, 12 p.m., WTHR
Aug. 26: Fever at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., WTHR
Sept. 4: Fever vs. Los Angeles, 7 p.m. WALV
Sept. 8: Fever vs. Atlanta, 4 p.m., WTHR
Sept. 11: Fever vs. Las Vegas, 7 p.m., WALV
Sept. 15: Fever vs. Dallas, 3 p.m., WALV
Sept. 19: Fever at Washington, 7 p.m., WTHR
Tegna says it will work with additional broadcast companies in coming weeks to expand free over-the-air access to television markets outside of Indianapolis.
With the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft on April 15, the Fever chose Clark, a point guard from University of Iowa who received national coverage in the 2023-24 season as she broke several major college basketball records, including the Division I scoring record for both men and women.
Clark’s renown has helped spark an explosion of ticket and merchandise sales for the Fever. Clark joins several other high-profile rookies—including Cameron Brink, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso—in driving interest in the WNBA this year.
The partnership between the Fever and Tegna was brokered and negotiated by Dan Granik and David Sternberg of Range Sports, a division of Range Media Partners, longtime consultants to Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
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Does this signal the end of the relationship between Bally Sports and Pacers Sports & Entertainment?
We can only hope!
While it’s on a different level, it’s too bad that local TV hasn’t embraced coverage of Indian games. It’s particularly salient since the local daily hasn’t for years. A restriction might be milb web contract coverage provisions? Reminds me of how the high school state FINALS are not televised, while much of the sectional and regional action is. Convoluted and frankly, not too bright.
MLB controls the rights for AAA and did a binding exclusive deal with Bally Sports.
Yawn….
…yet your eyeballs clicked on the story. What were you expecting?
Surprised they aren’t taking the approach of blackouts to compel attendance
The NBA and WNBA don’t do blackouts in local markets unless you are using League Pass.