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Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Sport
- Tom's Guide
How to watch WNBA 2025: live stream games free from anywhere
We're into the final few weeks of the regular season, and all but one playoff berth is yet to be filled. The Minnesota Lynx, last season's No.2 seeds and finalists, aren't leaving anything to chance this time. They've already secured postseason basketball, and are almost guaranteed top seeding. You can watch WNBA 2025 from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free. The 2025 WNBA season started on May 16 and will conclude in October. • U.S. — Ion, ESPN, ABC/ESPN3, NBA TV via Sling TV / Prime Video / CBS via Paramount Plus• Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk free The reigning champion New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury are locked in a three-way battle for the No.2 seed, which might well go all the way down to the wire. The Dream are in the groove right now, thanks to Allisha Gray and Brionna Jones, while their direct rivals have stuttered of late. It feels almost miraculous that the Indiana Fever won the Commissioner's Cup, given the almost comedic number of injuries they've suffered. Caitlin Clark has barely played all year and Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald are now out for the rest of the season, but the Fever are still in the mix. Unless their fortunes change dramatically, this season's shaping up to be a write-off for the Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun, who are a long way off even the Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks, who themselves are on the outside looking in. Check out all of the TV and streaming details below to find out how to watch WNBA 2025 from anywhere, including free options. You can watch 50 WNBA games free-of-charge in the U.S., courtesy of Sling. Ion is broadcasting every Friday night double-header this season, and they're all being live streamed on Sling Freestream, the streaming platform's free tier. Away from home? You may not be able to watch the action like you normally would due to regional restrictions. Fortunately, there's an easy solution. Use a VPN to watch WNBA 2025 for free — we'll show you how to do that below. Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the basketball on your usual subscription? You can still watch WNBA 2025 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN — we explain why in our NordVPN review. NordVPN deal: 3 Months Extra Free Boasting lightning fast speeds, great features, streaming power, and class-leading security, NordVPN is our #1 VPN.✅ 3 months extra FREE!✅ 74% off usual price Use Nord to unblock Sling to watch FREE WNBA coverage live online with our exclusive deal. Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.K. and want to view an American service, you'd select U.S. from the list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Sling or another streaming service and watch WNBA 2025. For the 2025 season, WNBA games are being televised nationally on Ion, ESPN, ABC/ESPN3, NBA TV and CBS in the U.S.. If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get all of those channels through an OTT cable TV alternative. Sling TV is one of the better options. As mentioned above, all 50 of the WNBA games on Ion will be available to live stream for free on Sling Freestream. Sling also includes ESPN and ESPN3 in its Orange plan, with prices starting from $46/month and your first month half-price. You can add NBA TV via the $11 per month Sports Extra addon. You can get ESPN and ESPN3 on the Sling TV Orange package. Sling is streaming an additional 50 games for free. Sling Orange is also available in their industry defining $4.99 Day Pass, $9.99 Weekend Pass and $14.99 Week Pass. CBS' WNBA coverage is available via Paramount Plus, which starts at $7.99 per month after a 7-day FREE trial. A Prime Video subscription costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year after a 30-day FREE trial. TNT Sports has the rights to WNBA basketball in the U.K.. You can get TNT through your TV package, or via the Discovery Plus streaming service. To get TNT you'll need the Premium package, which costs £30.99/month but will also give you Champions League, Europa League and Premier League football, motorsports, tennis, cycling, snooker and more. If you're not in the U.K. right now but already subscribe to TNT Sports and Discovery Plus, try using NordVPN to watch the WNBA as if you were back at home. TSN and Sportnet share the rights to WNBA basketball in Canada. If you don't have cable, you could subscribe to TSN+ instead, which lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis. The Sportsnet Plus streaming service starts at $19.99/month. Visiting Canada from the U.S.? Tap into your free Sling WNBA streams by using NordVPN to bypass geoblocking. Basketball fans in Australia will find WNBA live streams on ESPN via Foxtel. Don't have Foxtel and don't want to subscribe? Specialist streaming service Kayo Sports is also showing WNBA basketball, with its affordable, commitment-free plans starting from just $25/month, and hosting plenty of cricket, AFL, rugby, F1 and loads of other live sports besides. There's also a 7-day FREE trial for anybody who hasn't used the service before. Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on your Kayo account as if you were back home. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
NZ Herald
31-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Carolyn Ion runs for Kawerau mayor after 18 years as councillor
'I was raised here and I have raised a family here.' She said her parents, with their young family of three children, moved to Kawerau from the South Island, but never intended to stay long. 'The intention was for two years. Dad was a shift electrician at Tasman Pulp and Paper. They never left.' She married local man Michael Ion, whose grandfather Harold Ion was the first principal of Kawerau North School and one of the district's first councillors. The couple raised three children in Kawerau and Ion did her time on school boards before migrating to council. 'I had a great time growing up and being educated in Kawerau, as did our children.' She played a range of sports, including Kawerau women's hockey, and represented her schools in hockey, tennis and swimming. She is still involved with the sporting community in supporting roles, managing teams, and has been on the Kawerau Sports Club committee since 2009. 'It's important to get kids and young men and women out on the field,' she said. In 2008 she joined the board of directors for the Kawerau Enterprise Agency. 'As an in-kind board director, I'm proud to be part of a team of like-minded people who care about our town, supporting businesses and positive social outcomes.' Ion is also a local Justice of the Peace. With a background in finance, she still works part-time as an administrator. 'I was at the BNZ when the BNZ had 26 staff in Kawerau.' Since then, while raising her children, she has done administration and finance for a range of local businesses and Māori organisations. She said she would bring 18 years of experience as a councillor to the role, including her strong grounding as a committee chairwoman for a number of years. 'The chair is an interesting position because it is a leadership role. It puts you in good stead for stepping forward.' Ion said she was guided by her experience, grounded in the community and focused on the future of Kawerau. No other Kawerau mayoral candidates had been officially listed as of 12pm Thursday. Several new names were standing for councillor seats. Besides Ion and current councillor Berice Julian, Wayne Andrews is standing for one of the two district-wide 'at large' seats. For the three seats on the Kawerau general ward, Melissa Drummond, Tracy-Ann Hill, Lyndal Kennedy and Anthony Worsley are currently listed as candidates. Waikite Apiata and Melany Dowie are the only candidates listed for the three new Māori ward seats. Candidates have until noon on Friday to get their nominations in. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Niche Sports Aren't So Niche Anymore As Networks Place More Bets
If live sports is the engine driving linear TV in the streaming era — and it is — then it stands to reason that networks would look to build that audience in any way they can. Football season, after all, doesn't fill the whole calendar. That notion seems to be working. As outlets have gotten more serious about the variety of sports they offer — and as the cost of airing the biggest players climbs ever higher, pricing some out of that market — what might have been considered niche offerings in the past are building solid, consistent viewing numbers at a relatively low price compared to rights fees for the likes of the NFL and NBA. More from The Hollywood Reporter Stephen Colbert's Late Night Allies and Famous Friends Make Cameos on 'The Late Show' After Cancellation Jon Stewart Rages Over Colbert Cancellation In F-Bomb Filled Speech Donald Trump Won't Absolutely Love That He May Have Just Handed an Emmy to Stephen Colbert A year after a breakthrough season, the WNBA has continued to pull in strong ratings for its national games on ESPN/ABC, CBS and Ion. Wimbledon just finished its most-watched tournament in six years. Smaller national-team soccer tournaments are pulling in record viewing. None of those sports pull in the audience of, say, the NBA or Major League Baseball postseason, let alone the average NFL game. But the viewer numbers for some WNBA games wouldn't look out of place among those for MLB's or the NBA's regular season. The CONCACAF Gold Cup final may pale in comparison to the World Cup in ratings, but it just posted its largest audience to date on English-language TV. Over the first half of the WNBA season, ESPN's telecasts of the women's basketball league have improved by 10 percent year to year (though ESPN hasn't disclosed precise viewing totals), with three of its top five regular season games of all time airing this season. All that comes after a 2024 season that more than doubled the audience the year before that. Ion's over-the-air telecasts have grown by 12 percent vs. 2024 (595,000 vs. 529,000), and CBS' smaller slate is averaging 1.38 million viewers, about even with 2024. It's worth noting, too, that arguably the biggest draw for viewers, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, has missed about half her team's games with injuries, but the audience has held. The July 19 All-Star Game averaged 2.2 million viewers, down a good amount from last year's record (which aired on ABC rather than ESPN) but still the second most-watched contest in the league's history. The increased audience for WNBA games, and the coming huge jump in media rights fees beginning in 2026, are also a key point in negotiations between the players union and the league. During the all-star weekend, a number of players wore T-shirts reading 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' ESPN's Wimbledon coverage was its best since 2019, with an average of 721,000 viewers across all hours. The July 13 men's final averaged 3.2 million viewers, a 26 percent jump from a year ago, and the women's final a day earlier drew 1.9 million, an 18 percent improvement despite a lopsided 6-0, 6-0 victory for Iga Swiatek over Amanda Anisimova. The examples continue: The final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 6 drew 3.84 million viewers for Fox, the most on an English-language network in the North American soccer tournament's history, and it's followed up with huge increases for the women's European championship, which more than doubled their 2022 audience in the quarterfinal round. Formula 1 averages 1.3 million viewers on ESPN (with a sizable assist from Netflix's Drive to Survive docuseries), double what it did at the beginning of ESPN's current contract. (There's widespread speculation that Apple will pay a premium to wrest F1 rights from ESPN starting in 2026.) The men's and women's College World Series both averaged better than 1 million viewers this season. And on and on. The knock on televised sports outside of the four biggest U.S. pro leagues, and college football and men's basketball, used to be that they didn't have big enough fan bases to justify any substantial investment in them. The growing audiences, along with relatively inexpensive rights packages compared to the traditional behemoths and major advertisers willing to spend on that programming, suggest that maybe networks just weren't looking hard enough to find them. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WNBA National Viewership Up Despite Clark's Injury Absences
The WNBA's national viewership remains strong in year two of the Caitlin Clark era, even with Clark missing extended time because of injuries and her Indiana Fever hovering around .500. Entering the All-Star break, the WNBA says viewership for its national TV partners—Ion, ESPN/ABC and CBS—is up 23% versus the same timeframe last year. More from Caitlin Clark's All-Star Absence Fuels Condensed Schedule Fight Caitlin Clark's Role Expands With Expected Presence at CBA Talks Sporticast 467: What Is 'Revenue,' Anyway? Clark-mania remains a significant driver of TV interest, yet the Fever have still commanded some of the season's biggest audiences in games she missed. The sophomore guard has sat out 10 of Indiana's first 23 games, as well as the team's Commissioner's Cup final win on July 1. (The Commissioner's Cup final game does not count in the WNBA's official records or regular season standings.) The greatest gains belong to Ion, which touts a 12% increase in viewership. The Scripps-owned network has averaged 595,000 viewers compared to 529,000 a year ago before the break. Indiana's July 11 win over the Atlanta Dream pulled in 1.48 million viewers, the best tally so far on Ion this season. According to the network, viewership of the Fever's 99-85 win peaked at the 9:15 p.m. ET quarter-hour at 1.8 million viewers. It was the first time Clark appeared on the network this season, as she had missed the Fever's June 28 victory against the Dallas Wings that was watched by 1.14 million people. (The June 28 tilt would have been the first meeting between Clark and former UConn star Paige Bueckers, the last two No. 1 overall draft picks.) In June, the WNBA renewed its media rights deal with Ion, which was originally set to expire after this season. Financial details of the extension were not disclosed but prior media reports said that Ion has been paying the league $13 million per season in the initial three-year agreement. ESPN and ABC are also carrying momentum from 2024, as WNBA games are up 10% on the Disney-owned networks compared to the same time last season. The 13 WNBA games are averaging 1.3 million viewers. Last year, the two networks had 20 games, including 13 Fever games, before the Olympic break. (This year, ESPN and ABC have shown just five Fever games so far.) Unsurprisingly, the most-watched game on the ABC slate—and for any media partner so far—was between the Fever and Chicago Sky in their season opener on May 17; 2.7 million viewers tuned in as Indiana trounced Chicago 93-58. Outside of last year's All-Star Game, the Fever-Sky game had the best viewership of any WNBA contest since 2000. Because Clark missed the chance to face Bueckers in the first Fever/Wings game of this season, ABC benefitted from the teams' second meeting. Clark vs. Bueckers, or rather Fever vs. Wings, delivered 2.1 million viewers for ABC, peaking at 2.5 million. It was the fourth-most watched WNBA game in ABC history, dating back to 2003 and totaling 120 regular season and playoff games. CBS, the W's third media partner, has gotten a 6% bump through the league's first half. The broadcast network has only aired six games, but it has averaged 1.3 million viewers per game versus 1.23 million in 2024. CBS' most-watched game thus far was on May 24 when 2.22 million people watched the Fever come up short of a comeback against the defending champion New York Liberty. The end of the contest brought the first major Clark-related controversy of the season when New York's Natasha Cloud prevented her from getting a shot off in the game's final seconds. Whether it was a no-call or great defense, the ending sparked yet another debate among fans about how Clark is being treated by her peers in the league. Over the entire 2024 season, the league amassed 22 regular season games with more than 1 million viewers—and Clark and the Fever appeared in 21 of those contests. When scheduling the 2025 season, the league spread the bounty among all its media partners, including Prime Video and NBA TV, by putting 41 of Indiana's 44 games shown on national television. Just seven WNBA games have crossed the 1 million threshold so far this season, with five involving the Fever. The two non-Fever games were the Liberty's season opening win over the Las Vegas Aces on May 17, where 1.3 million watched the team raise its first championship banner; and Chicago's upset win over Minnesota on July 12 as 1.04 million saw the battle between Angel Reese and Napheesa Collier. However, even in games Clark has missed, the league has shown some resilience on TV this season. For example, CBS' June 7 telecast of the Fever against the Chicago Sky on June 7 pulled in 1.92 million viewers, making it the second-most watched game not involving Clark since 2001, only trailing Game 5 of last year's WNBA Finals. The game was already notable for being first WNBA game to ever air in primetime on broadcast TV—on a Saturday night, no less. CBS will get another Fever/Sky game in Saturday primetime on Aug. 9. CBS' last three WNBA telecasts have flirted with 1 million viewers. The Tiffany network pulled in 939,000 viewers for Chicago vs. Connecticut on June 15 despite the game featuring teams with two of the worst records in the league. CBS then picked up 987,000 viewers apiece on July 6 (Seattle-New York) and July 12 (Golden State-Las Vegas). Best of Tennis Prize Money Tracker: Which Player Has Earned the Most in 2025? Browns Officially Get Public Money for New Stadium in Ohio Budget WNBA Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From Golden State to Atlanta
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ISRG Expands Installed Base, But Is Utilization Keeping Pace?
Intuitive Surgical ISRG continues to expand its global dominance in robotic-assisted surgery with a 15% year-over-year increase in da Vinci system installations, bringing its global installed base to more than 10,000 units. In the first quarter of 2025, the company placed 367 da Vinci systems — including 147 of the next-gen da Vinci 5 — amid strong U.S. demand. However, installations outside the country remained unchanged year over year, reflecting healthcare budget constraints in markets like Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. While Intuitive Surgical's recurring revenues, now 85% of the total revenues, remain robust, a critical metric — utilization — reveals a key tension. Overall, procedures grew 17% year over year, yet average system utilization rose just 2% across the multiport platforms. SP and Ion platforms posted stronger utilization increases of 26% and 5% respectively, supported by focused adoption strategies and new clearances. The limited growth in core platform utilization raises questions about the ROI of hospitals post-installation, particularly in constrained capital environments. Management acknowledged this dynamic, noting efforts to drive training, site enablement, and digital adoption to boost throughput. Additionally, da Vinci 5's Force Feedback and case insight tools, though early in rollout, are beginning to demonstrate measurable value in clinical outcomes and surgeon proficiency. ISRG's installed base expansion remains strong, especially in the United States. However, modest system utilization growth suggests that procedural ramp-up may lag deployments in some markets. Long-term growth will require more than system placements; it hinges on improving per-system productivity, proving clinical differentiation, and navigating financial headwinds that may shift hospital ROI expectations. Stryker SYK reported record-breaking Mako installations in the first quarter of 2025, both in the United States and globally, driven by sustained momentum in orthopedics and increased procedural demand. The new Mako 4 SmartRobotics system, launched this year, features a smaller OR footprint and improved integration with its latest Q Guidance system, streamlining setup and intraoperative workflows. Management cited high utilization rates for installed units globally, particularly in knee and hip procedures, where Mako continues to drive share gains. The company also noted progress toward launching Mako Spine later in 2025 and Mako Shoulder in early 2026, expanding its robotic footprint across specialties. With a strong capital order book and robust procedural volume, Stryker expects the Mako franchise to be a key contributor to its 8.5-9.5% organic growth target. Zimmer Biomet's ZBH ROSA robotics platform saw ongoing adoption in knee procedures, but results were more muted. While ROSA volume-based placements contributed to a mix shift versus outright sales, ROSA was mentioned as central to ZBH's robotic strategy in 2025. The company emphasized the growing uptake of cementless knee and hip implants, including the Oxford Partial Cementless Knee, which complements robotic workflows. Though specific ROSA installation figures weren't disclosed, the system remains integral to ZBH's ASC and digitization strategy. Management cited increased commercial focus and expanded surgical capabilities as key growth drivers, but acknowledged tariffs and ongoing pressure on operating margins as near-term headwinds. Shares of ISRG have gained 2.4% in the year-to-date period against the industry's decline of 7.7%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From a valuation standpoint, Intuitive Surgical trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 64.35, above the industry average. But, it is still lower than its five-year median of 72.21. ISRG carries a Value Score of D. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Intuitive Surgical's 2025 earnings implies a 6.8% rise from the year-ago period's level. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Stryker Corporation (SYK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (ZBH) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
