
The YES Network and the WNBA's New York Liberty have reached an agreement by which YES will become the official regional TV partner of the Liberty this season. YES will televise 16 Liberty home games this season, the first being Friday, May 24 (8 pm ET), when the Liberty host the Indiana Fever at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. All 16 games on YES' Liberty schedule will also be streamed live on the FOX Sports GO app. Chris Shearn and former Marist College basketball star Julianne Viani will handle play-by-play and analyst duties, respectively, on Friday's telecast.
CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) will also telecast one Liberty home game this season on Aug. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET, as part of the WNBA's multi-year partnership.
The Liberty will be led this year by center Tina Charles, the five-time All-WNBA player and the 2012 WNBA MVP who averaged 19.6 points per game last season. She will be joined by, among others, guards Kia Nurse, Bria Hartley and Brittany Boyd, and center Amanda Zahui B.
The team's first-round 2019 draft pick, Asia Durr of Louisville, was a two-time first-team All-American who twice was a finalist for National Player of the Year. New York's second-round selection this year was center Han Xu from China, a member of the Chinese Women's National Team.
Coach Katie Smith, a 15-year WNBA veteran and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, enters her second season as head coach and her fifth overall season with the franchise.
"Boasting a healthy mix of veterans and newcomers, the Liberty is primed to be a force in the WNBA this season," said John J. Filippelli, president of Production and Programming, YES Network. "The WNBA features the finest women's basketball in the world, and we at YES look forward to bringing this exciting brand of ball to our viewers."
"We want to showcase Liberty basketball to as many fans as possible and we have a unique opportunity to do that with YES Network this year," said Keia Clarke, COO of the New York Liberty. "This partnership is the first of its kind, as the WNBA hasn't been broadcast on YES in the past," Clarke added. "We are thrilled to work with the team at YES to expand the reach of women's basketball to new and different audiences."
YES Network 2019 New York Liberty telecast schedule
All times ET; schedule subject to change
*Games will be streamed live on FOX Sports Go and will air on YES on tape-delay