Caitlin Clark — and her fans — will put WNBA in prime position for its next media deal

In the media, timing is everything. From when a broadcast job opens to simply what time a broadcast is, success can depend more on when than who.

It’s a rare opportunity when both are in your favor.

Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa basketball star, was born Jan. 22, 2002, and the path she chose brought her to the point where she’ll be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and the main attraction in every arena in which she plays. (FYI: Her first game at Wintrust Arena is June 23.)

The biggest beneficiary from Clark’s arrival is the WNBA itself, which already is coming off its most-watched regular season in more than two decades and figures to set another record this season.

After that happens, the league will be in its best position ever to negotiate a new media-rights deal. Its current one expires after the 2025 season.

Perfect timing.

Whether you’re a media buyer or a media company, you should want a piece of the WNBA. Clark’s legion of fans will switch from the Hawkeyes to the Fever faster than you can say, “With the first pick in the WNBA Draft …”

Iowa’s game Sunday against Ohio State, in which Clark set the NCAA record for career scoring, drew 3.39 million viewers on Fox, peaking at 4.42 million. It was the most-watched regular-season women’s college basketball game on any network since 1999.

Granted, it helped that the game was between top-10 teams and Clark made history. But check this out: Michael Mulvihill, who oversees research, analytics and strategic planning at Fox, said Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter) that women’s college basketball was averaging a slightly bigger audience than men’s college basketball on the network (981,000 to 946,000). That’s the Clark effect.

Fox has been the biggest beneficiary of Clark’s popularity, given the network’s lead role in the Big Ten’s media-rights deal. In fact — and this is wild — John Ourand of Puck reported Monday that Fox executives discussed working with other networks to create an NIL (name, image and likeness) offer that would convince Clark to stay in school for another season. Nothing came of it; Clark wasn’t even approached.

ESPN will take over Clark coverage when the women’s NCAA Tournament starts in two weeks — and the network won’t let her go. ESPN will air every game of the tournament followed this summer by a package of WNBA games that’s sure to include Clark. The network then will carry every game of the WNBA playoffs. It will be a cornucopia of Clark.

“We are storytellers at heart, and we have proudly covered Caitlin Clark and her journey for some time now,” said Matt Kenny, ESPN’s head of pro basketball programming and acquisitions. “As we look ahead, we couldn’t be more thrilled about continuing to cover her journey to the WNBA and the continued growth of the WNBA.”

But the WNBA has other mouths to feed, too. Last season, its games also aired on CBS, CBS Sports Network, Ion, NBA TV, Prime Video, Meta and Twitter. The 2024 broadcast schedule is still in the works, and you can bet each outlet will push for Clark’s games. It’s akin to the networks with NFL rights making pitches to carry the biggest games.

“We obviously have a great relationship with the WNBA,” Kenny said, “and we are laser-focused on the upcoming season and couldn’t be more proud to not only cover Caitlin Clark but all the incredible athletes and storylines in the WNBA for the upcoming season.”

It’s certainly a big season for everyone involved. For the WNBA, the season could serve as a springboard to the best media deal it has ever had. For ESPN and other networks, it could continue a sharp increase in viewership of women’s sports, which still has plenty of room to grow.

It all starts with Clark, whose timing is impeccable.

Remote patrol

• The IHSA boys basketball state finals will air Saturday on CW26 live from Champaign. Tipoff times are 11 a.m. for Class 1A, 1 p.m. for 2A, 5:30 for 3A and 7:30 for 4A. Matt Rodewald and Kenny McRenolds will call the 1A and 3A games, and Dave Bernhard and Camron Smith have the 2A and 4A games. Kacy Standohar will report from the sideline.
  
• NBC Sports will air the TYR Pro Swim Series this weekend in Westmont, featuring several U.S. Olympians. Coverage will stream live on Peacock at 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Encore presentations will appear on CNBC at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Jason Knapp and Rowdy Gaines will call it.
  
• MLB games will return to Apple TV+ on Friday nights beginning March 29. The broadcast crews return, as well, including play-by-play voices Wayne Randazzo and Alex Faust, analysts Dontrelle Willis and Ryan Spilborghs and reporters Heidi Watney and Tricia Whitaker.
  
• Fox Sports will air college football games Friday nights this fall on Fox, featuring the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West.