In a major strategic pivot, ESPN is replacing its 35-year-old "Sunday Night Baseball" institution with a new summer franchise, "Women's Sports Sundays," a move that swaps a legacy property for the high-growth trajectory of professional women's leagues.
A new primetime playbook: Debuting in summer 2026, the new block will feature 12 top-tier WNBA and NWSL matchups over nine weeks. ESPN is billing it as a landmark: the first weekly primetime franchise devoted solely to women's sports, supported by the network's full ecosystem of studio shows and digital content.
Follow the money: The strategic shift was made possible by ESPN's exit from its expensive 'Sunday Night Baseball' deal, which freed up the valuable primetime slot. Rather than find another men's league, the network is making a calculated business decision to capitalize on the surging viewership and advertiser demand surrounding the WNBA and NWSL.
Doubling down: The move builds on ESPN's deep existing investment in women's athletics. The company reports that more than two-thirds of its live event programming is already dedicated to women’s competition, with its networks airing more than 30,000 hours of live events annually.
This isn't just a programming change; it's a clear signal of where ESPN sees the future of its audience growth and a major bet on the commercial viability of women's professional sports as a mainstream, primetime draw. The trend of dedicated women's sports programming is also growing elsewhere, with other networks creating recurring slots like Wednesday night pro volleyball. Meanwhile, fans can also find WNBA and NWSL games for free on broadcast networks like Ion, owned by E.W. Scripps.
