The Chicago Sky announced the team's 2025 broadcast and streaming schedule Thursday, and fans of the Angel Reese-led squad are not exactly happy about it.
The Sky will have 24 games broadcast nationally across ESPN, ABC, CBS, and ION. The games will also be streamed on ESPN3, CBS Sports Network, Prime Video and NBA TV. More than 30 of the team's games will be broadcast locally via Weigel Broadcasting Co.'s WCIU, The U.
While having an easy way to watch 24 games is exciting, the number is much lower than the 44 games the Sky will play this season, and the fact that all of the team's games won't be easier to watch feels disrespectful to some fans.
The Sky's 2025 broadcast schedule doesn't contain a lot of surprises
When it comes to the Sky games that will be broadcast, it's not too surprising that the list definitely includes each of the team's games against the Indiana Fever. The teams' match-up on June 23 of last year was the most-watched WNBA game on any network in the last 23 years with an average of 2.3 million viewers. The audience peaked at 3.3 million people.
The Sky's games against defending champions the New York Liberty will also be broadcast — the first by ESPN on June 10, and the second on Prime Video on August 21.
Additional games include matches against the Golden State Valkyries, Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury, Las Vegas Aces, and Minnesota Lynx.
The Sky's broadcast schedule reminds fans of the 2024 season
Fans were understandably upset in 2024 when Caitlin Clark's debut game with the Indiana Fever was broadcast across the United States, but it was difficult to watch Angel Reese's debut with the Sky. Though some pointed out that the broadcast schedule was set before last year's draft and it's very likely the powers that be had no idea what team Reese would end up on, that did little to quell the frustrations of people who just wanted to be able to see one of their favorite player hoop.
Since the game wasn't broadcast on TV and was also unavailable on the WNBA app, many fans tuned in via livestream from a fan. The video ended up gaining around 434,000 total views and peaked at around 173,000 live viewers.
Sky fans have more than demonstrated that they're hungry to watch as many games as possible live — it's time for the broadcasters to pay a little more attention.