The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has signed up technology giant Google to the division’s top-tier Changemaker sponsorship category in a new multi-year tie-up.

Under the terms of the contract, Google has been designated as the presenting partner of both the WNBA on ESPN and WNBA Playoffs, whilst the firm has been designated as an associate partner of the WNBA All-Star Game and Commissioner’s Cup.

Furthermore, Google will collaborate with WNBA and its broadcast partner ESPN on the ‘25 for 25’ game regular season schedule telecasts across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, marking the 25th season of the top-tier basketball competition.

Meanwhile, the American-based business becomes an associate sponsor of upcoming ESPN Films projects via the deal, including the ‘30 for 30’ documentary franchise, along with presenting a weekly montage of the best sports highlights on ESPN’s SportsCenter from May onwards.

Lorraine Twohill, Google’s Chief Marketing Officer, explained: “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.”

Google will also serve as the official trends and fan insights partner of the WNBA, along with an official marketing partner and technology partner to the tournament, working together on new marketing initiatives, community-driven programming and Google product experiences for basketball fans.

“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,” added WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert.

“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.”

Google becomes the fourth firm to join the sponsorship category, joining telecommunications company AT&T, sports apparel manufacturer Nike and professional services firm Deloitte in becoming a WNBA Changemaker.

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