| WNBA on Oxygen | |
|---|---|
| Genre | WNBA basketball telecasts |
| Directed by | Suzanne Smith [1] |
| Starring | Debbie Antonelli Krista Blunk Swin Cash Heather Cox Eric Frede Mark Morgan Beth Mowins Sue Wicks |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lydia Stephans |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 120 minutes+ |
| Production company | Oxygen Sports |
| Original release | |
| Network | Oxygen |
| Release | June 4, 2002 – 2004 |
| Related | |
| WNBA on NBC | |
The WNBA on Oxygen refers to the presentation of Women's National Basketball Association games on the Oxygen [2] pay television channel. Prior to 2005, [3] the channel carried a limited schedule of regular season WNBA games produced by NBA TV. Oxygen had de facto picked up the games that previously aired on Lifetime. [4] [5] Oxygen's first WNBA telecast was on June 4, 2002. [6]
Oxygen's relationship with the WNBA began with a two-year agreement [7] that called for them to televise a minimum of 11 games on Tuesday [8] nights during the 2002 season and weekly games [9] as well as playoff action during the 2003 season. Oxygen joined NBC, [10] [11] [12] ESPN [13] and ESPN2 [14] in televising WNBA games for the 2002 season. The deal called for NBA Productions [15] to produce the games, and the league would sell the ad time. [16] [17] Oxygen meanwhile, would get promotional spots during the games. Oxygen however, would provide the announcers [18] and handle the halftime on-air duties themselves. Oxygen's halftime reports were sponsored by AIG VALIC.
For the 2003 season, Oxygen averaged a 0.2 rating [19] for its 13-game regular-season WNBA schedule. They were also expected to air at least two playoff games (such as Game 3s [20] of the WNBA conference semifinals [21] [22] ), with the possibility of airing up to four. By 2004, [23] Oxygen's ratings dropped to a 0.1 from a 0.2, though only five games aired on the network that year compared with 13 from 2003. [24] [25]
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