“As we’ve turned on the Google ecosystem around the WNBA, around the NBA, it made sense to include Google Pixel in all these things as well,” added Johnson.

Watch this space

The Changemakers program has had a visible impact on the league, as Cathy Engelbert, WNBA commissioner and former Deloitte CEO, works to build a new economic model for the WNBA.

In just three years as a Changemaker, Google has worked with Disney/ESPN to add 173 hours of women’s sports programming to broadcast TV, including 48 hours of new live games and 17 hours of new pre-game show content on WNBA Countdown.

“It seems so simple, but it’s something that you can’t do without the type of funding and support that Google is able to give,” said Edison. “It shows just how far the league has come, our partners have come and why our partnership makes sense.”

Every postseason game now airs on Disney networks. And for the first time, the WNBA All-Star Game will air in primetime on ABC on July 15.

“We are a big media partner, we understand the importance of owned, earned, all of it,” said Johnson. “We have deep relationships with broadcasters, and we looked at women’s sports, in particular, to see how we’re spending there.”

In 2021, Google and ESPN worked to ensure 25 games were aired, and that number has increased every year.

And the investment in broadcast is working. In 2023, WNBA viewership on ESPN platforms is up 56% year-over-year so far this season. It’s an impressive stat, considering 2022’s average of 412,000 viewers per game was the most since 2006.

Looking forward, the league is welcoming meaningful investors.

In collaboration with Deloitte earlier this year, the WNBA completely overhauled its app and website to help grow the fan base. Plus, the league has been carefully adding Changemaker partnerships, most recently CarMax.

“The Changemaker platform is a really unique platform for sponsorship in that it’s a two-way relationship,” said Edison. “Not only that the collective of some of the most accomplished driven organizations who are committed to grow in women’s sports, they’re also committed to making changes on a greater level as it relates to equity and inclusion and diversity.”