Google has been named a WNBA Changemaker and Presenting Partner of WNBA on ESPN, playoff games and more. Google is the fourth company to join the WNBA Changemakers Platform.
What’s Happening:
- The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced today that Google will become a WNBA Changemaker through a new multiyear partnership.
- As part of the partnership, Google will serve as Presenting Partner of the WNBA Playoffs and as an Associate Partner of WNBA All-Star on ESPN and the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
- The WNBA Changemakers platform is designed to provide direct support to the WNBA in its ongoing business transformation across marketing, branding, and player and fan experience.
- The Platform catalyzes social change by offering Changemaker-only exclusive assets rooted in shared values such as gender, racial and LGBTQ+ equity.
- As part of this deal, Google will become the Official Trends and Fan Insights partner of the WNBA, and an official marketing and technology partner of the league.
- Google will become the Presenting Sponsor of the WNBA on ESPN, collaborating with both brands to deliver “25 for 25” – 25 regular season ABC/ESPN nationally televised games to celebrate the 25th season of the WNBA. Additionally, Google becomes an Associate Sponsor of upcoming ESPN Films projects, including the 30 for 30 franchise.
- As an espnW Summit NYC sponsor, Google will be tipping off the conversation around the ESPN Film 144 on May 13th.
- As a part of Google’s commitment to women’s sports, they will be presenting a montage of the week’s best sports highlights on SportsCenter beginning in May.
Other WNBA Changemakers:
- Google is the fourth company to step up and join the exclusive collective of current Changemakers which includes:
- AT&T
- Deloitte
- Nike
What They’re Saying:
- WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert: “When we launched our WNBA Changemakers platform at the beginning of 2020, we issued a call to like-minded companies to join us in elevating women’s sports, and Google has answered that call. We are incredibly grateful to Google for becoming the latest WNBA Changemaker and for their platform of helpful products for everyone. Google’s support will be instrumental in driving our business transformation forward and demonstrates a commitment to the values we both stand for – including building sustainable equity.”
- Lorraine Twohill, CMO, Google: “For too long now, women’s sports have been underrepresented in the media. The WNBA has worked tirelessly to change that and has been at the forefront of progress for gender equity, racial justice, and sport. We are proud to partner with the WNBA and ESPN over the coming years to continue the charge and deliver on our commitment to gender equity and the future of women. It’s important to us that our product experiences are equitable for all genders and we want to make sure our media spend is equitable too, bringing more women’s content to television. With the WNBA and ESPN, we can help ensure women athletes get the recognition and media time they deserve, so that the world can see their incredible talents.”
- Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN & Sports Content: “ESPN has led the industry in its long-standing commitment to women’s sports across our programming and platforms, including as a founding telecaster of WNBA games and events 25 years ago and serving fans for over a decade through espnW. This new collaboration with the league and Google further extends our mission and dedication to elevating women’s sports, adding to the more than 16,000 hours of live sports programming we produce each year.”
- Rita Ferro, President, Disney Advertising Sales: “At Disney, we strive to super serve our audiences with the best available content, and recognize that equity, inclusion and representation in entertainment and sports are table stakes. Our first-of-its-kind, combined relationship with Google and WNBA is an example of how we’re putting an emphasis on women’s sports and female athletes, answering the needs of our fans.”