Title: Emergence of Women's Pro Sports Booms with Decline of Traditional Media

In a joint interview, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred attributed the recent surge in women's professional sports to the disappearance of traditional media companies.

According to Silver, the internet has played a significant role in this transformation. "I think that we've disintermediated traditional gatekeepers," he said during Fortune's Global Forum. This shift has enabled consumers to access various forms of content related to women's sports without relying on traditional media outlets.

The lack of control by traditional media companies has led to an increase in coverage for women's sports, as viewers can now easily find and access the content they previously couldn't through the internet and social media platforms. As a result, sports have emerged as a major attraction for audiences who demand more choices.

This new paradigm has resulted in impressive growth, including a record-breaking season for the WNBA. The league saw increased viewership with rising star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, with one of their matches reaching 12.3 million viewers during the women's NCAA tournament. This year's WNBA Finals also broke viewership records, solidifying the growing interest in professional women's sports.

According to Silver, audiences have demonstrated a genuine interest in women's sports. The WNBA has secured an 11-year media rights deal worth $200 million per season with major broadcast partners Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBC, more than triple what the league currently receives under its agreement. This indicates the high demand for women's sports programming in live broadcasting.

Silver highlighted that while recent attention may seem sudden, women's sports have been present since 1997 when the WNBA was founded.