WNBL: Channel 9 dealt basketball finals blow

Channel 9 streaming service 9Now will carry “select games,” as a global sporting giant pounced on rights to Australia’s elite competition - spreading the finals to more than 100 countries.

KAYO Sports will be the home of the WNBL finals in 2022-23 after global sports behemoth ESPN snapped up the rights to Australia’s top domestic women’s basketball league playoffs.

Kayo shared broadcasting rights for the regular season with Channel 9 but has dealt its legacy television rival a blow by streaming every finals match as teams battle for the league title.

Channel 9 streaming service 9Now will carry “select games,” the WNBL confirmed.

The league’s international profile is set to grow with its finals series beamed to more than 100 countries as part of the ESPN agreement, exposing Australian’s rising basketball stars to opportunities in the US, Canada and Europe.

“The WNBL is excited to offer fans around the world the opportunity to watch the best women’s basketball competition in Australia,” WNBL head Christy Collier-Hill said.

Shyla Heal drives to the basket for Townsville against former club Sydney Flames. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

“We have some incredibly talented players and teams and are thrilled to showcase them on an international stage.

“This is a significant milestone for our league, and we are excited to see the positive impact it will have on our players, fans and stakeholders.”

The race to feature in the global broadcast is heating up.

Townsville Fire, Southside Flyers and Melbourne Boomers have guaranteed their place while Perth Lynx and Bendigo Spirit must wait on results from the final round this week to join them.

The finals series will feature a minimum of six games with the capacity to extend to nine matches should tiebreakers be required.

Originally published as WNBL: Channel 9 dealt basketball finals blow