The WNBA All-Star weekend is again in Las Vegas in a giant manner, and types are on board.
For the primary time, this weekend’s All-Star Recreation will air in primetime on ABC, tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday from the Michelob Extremely Area. Along with the sport, which options workforce captains A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, followers can get pleasure from a halftime present starring Kehlani sponsored by AT&T.
“Whereas this marks the nineteenth yr of our partnership with ESPN, that is the primary time we’re on ABC in primetime for the All-Star Recreation,” Colie Edison, WNBA svp and chief progress officer, instructed Adweek.
“I get the chills,” she added. “It signifies that we’re a part of your sports activities dialog, your sports activities viewing expertise, and that doesn’t must say ‘girls’s sports activities.’ We’re simply a part of the dialog now.”
TV rankings are up in a significant manner for the WNBA this yr. Throughout ESPN platforms, video games are averaging 548,000 viewers, a 46% year-over-year enhance. And on ABC, that common climbed to 647,000 over eight video games, up 18% in comparison with the 4 video games airing on the community forward of the 2022 WNBA All-Star Recreation.
That momentum has been persevering with in particular person all through the season and is clear heading into this weekend’s festivities.
Scoring main partnerships
On the bottom, the league is internet hosting its second-ever WNBA Reside occasion, introduced by U.S. Financial institution. In 2022 in Chicago, the occasion had 15,000 sq. toes of companion activation. This yr, there might be 75,000 sq. toes, a 400% progress.
Fifteen completely different companion activations are taking place in Las Vegas, in addition to a wide range of panels, meet and greets and extra.
“The expertise is simply completely elevated for each the followers and our companions,” Edison stated. “By Friday, you’ll actually get the texture that the WNBA has taken over Las Vegas as we flip a whole lot of issues orange. We’re so grateful to all of our Changemakers, and we might not be right here with out them.”
The league’s Changemaker companions could have a big presence all through the weekend, with U.S. Financial institution presenting the general Reside pageant. Its activation will even have a merchandise customization assertion, monetary trivia and meet-and-greets with WNBA stars Aliyah Boston, Satou Sabally and Napheesa Collier. Peloton’s Jess Sims is even set to host The U.S. Financial institution Brick or Bucket Problem, a finance-focused trivia recreation.
