The news: BetterHelp inked a deal with three WNBA teams to market and raise awareness of mental health services.
Players and coaches from the New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings will also host in-person fan and community events with BetterHelp to raise mental health awareness in women’s sports.
How we got here: BetterHelp advertises mainly on digital platforms, and is one of the largest spenders on podcast advertising, to drive its direct-to-consumer telemental health. It has partnered with mainstream celebrities and influencers like Ariana Grande, Venus Williams and Tom Brady in the past, and recently began women's college and professional athletes’ mental health promotions.
In March, BetterHelp launched a “Stop the Madness” campaign with free online therapy for student athletes with women college basketball stars Kiki Rice, Zoe Brooks and Chance Gray.
Yes, and: Women’s sports are drawing more viewers and ad spending interest.
- Women’s sports revenue including sponsorships, partnerships and broadcast is expected to top $2.35 billion, surpassing last year’s $1.88 billion, per Deloitte.
- The WNBA achieved a record 2 billion video views across social media platforms last season and led women’s sports in TiKTok views with 361 million and Instagram engagements with 90 million in 2024, per research from Women’s Sport Trust.