Benzinga - by Chris Katje, Benzinga Staff Writer.
Media giant The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) could capitalize on the WNBA debut of Caitlin Clark, which is one of the most anticipated sporting events of 2024.
What Happened: Disney's streaming platform Disney+ ended the second quarter with 117.6 million core subscribers.
With an effort to increase sports coverage on the platform, the streaming platform could see a boost in interest soon.
Disney has experimented with live streaming options on the platform including the unveiling of Academy Award nominations and a live concert film from music legend Elton John.
On the sports front, Disney has also used Disney+ to launch animated alternative live sports broadcasts geared at kids, including an NFL game featuring Toy Story characters during the 2023 season.
On Tuesday, Disney could be testing its full live sports streaming on Disney+ with one of the most anticipated sporting events.
Clark was the number one overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. ESPN+ and Disney+ will stream the WNBA premiere, alongside broadcasts on cable networks ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
Coverage begins with "WNBA Tip-Off" at 7 p.m. ET and will follow with the Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun (7:30 p.m. ET) and a double-header game of the Phoenix Mercury at Las Vegas Aces (10 p.m. ET).
With this marking Clark's WNBA debut, the game could see strong viewership across multiple platforms and could see increased viewership from a younger audience on Disney+.
Clark helped NCAA Women's Basketball set several viewership records and could help the WNBA and its media partnerships with viewership in the 2024 season.
ESPN is a key partner of the WNBA and has been since the league premiered in 1997. ESPN also has the exclusive rights to the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. Disney will air eight games across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 during the season.
The Fever had 22 of their 40 games in 2023 nationally televised. The team will see the figure significantly lifted to 36 of their 40 games for the 2024 season thanks to the highly anticipated first season of Clark.
Media partners of the WNBA could benefit with Clark’s debut season and the likely strong viewership that comes with it.
Ion, owned by E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ:SSP), will air eight Fever games for the 2024 WNBA season.
CBS, which is a unit of Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA)(NASDAQ:PARAA), will air three Fever games during the season.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) owned Prime Video will air four Fever games during the season.
NBA-owned streaming platform, NBA TV, will air the Fever 13 times during the season.
Related Link: Caitlin Clark Nears $28M Nike Endorsement: Sneaker Deal 45 Times Her WNBA Salary
Betting Odds: Sportsbooks are enjoying a boost in interest thanks to women’s college basketball games. Many reported record betting figures during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament thanks to Clark.
On Tuesday, Clark and the Fever are 5.5 point underdogs to the Sun on sportsbook DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ:DKNG). A bet on the Fever pays out at +190 if Clark can help her team win her WNBA debut.
The player props for Clark list her points, three points made, rebounds and assists totals at 21.5, 3.5, 4.5 and 6.5 respectively.
The Fever are listed with the fifth-best odds to win the 2024 WNBA Championship at +2,500. Their opponent the Sun is listed with the third-best odds at +1,200. The back-to-back champion Aces are the favorite to win a third-straight championship with odds of -105.
Flutter owned (NYSE:FLUT) FanDuel, odds of Clark winning MVP of the 2024 WNBA season are listed at +950. That's third best among all players and has dropped from +1,200 months ago. Clark is also the favorite to win WNBA Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season with odds of -700.
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