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Amazon and the WNBA announced a multi-year streaming deal that gives Prime Video exclusive global streaming rights to 16 WNBA games per season. Starting with the Atlanta Dream’s game versus the New York Liberty on Saturday, May 29th, the streaming service will feature a WNBA game each week during the regular season. The landmark partnership marks the first time that Prime Video has exclusive global streaming rights to a women’s professional sports league.
“The WNBA is one of the premier professional sports leagues in the world and serves as an inspiration to millions of young and aspiring athletes everywhere,” said Marie Donoghue, vice president of Global Sports Video at Amazon. “I am delighted we are bringing these outstanding athletes and games to Prime Video.”
The WNBA also announced today that the title game for the league’s inaugural Commissioner’s Cup will be presented exclusively on Prime Video on Aug. 12th. The game will be played at Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, and will be the culmination of an in-season competition that designates a portion of regular-season games — 10 per team, 60 in total — as Commissioner’s Cup games.
The teams from each conference with the highest winning percentage in those designated games will compete for the Commissioner’s Cup title. The games will also be an opportunity for the league to convene fans, players, and partners in local communities for ongoing conversations and programming centered on equality and social justice. The complete schedule of “Cup Games” can be found here.
“We view the Commissioner’s Cup not just as a compelling competition, but as a multi-faceted platform designed to drive opportunities for broader fan engagement, create additional interest around our regular-season games, convene around equity and equality themes in our WNBA markets, and provide the players with an opportunity to earn significant cash compensation,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Google, Deloitte, and Wilson are the headline sponsors for the Commissioner’s Cup. Players will be vying for nearly $500,000 in prize money; members of the winning team can earn over $30,000 per player and those on the runner-up team will have an opportunity to earn $10,000 per player. The MVP of the Commissioner’s Cup title game will be awarded an additional $5,000.
