Emerging leagues find winning formula in media deals and partnerships

Driving the news: The International Dance League recently signed a deal with ESPN, introducing a new audience to the professional dance competition series.

• Unrivaled recently raised $106 million in new funding, valuing the 3x3 basketball league around $650 million.
• In June, the Professional Women's Hockey League announced its first outside investments.

The big picture: These young leagues are finding similar routes to early success.

• Unrivaled launched with a TNT Sports media rights deal, plus more than 20 brand partners including Ally Financial, Sephora and Samsung Galaxy, of which 95% renewed for season two.
• Co-founded by All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, the league secured several other WNBA standouts for its first two seasons including Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner.
• The PWHL counts Air Canada, Discover and Barbie among its partners. Brands are attracted to the league's incredibly engaged and growing fanbase, which a spokesperson said is distinct even from other women's sports.
• Every team was represented in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, including the captains of Team USA and Team Canada, Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin.
• The league was available at launch on YouTube and regional sports network, and aired its first national broadcast on ION earlier this year. A spokesperson said the league will share more about its expanding media rights ahead of its fourth season later this year.
• IDL's six teams have worked with artists like Justin Bieber, Rihanna and BTS. The league has partnered with Honda, e.l.f. Beauty, Ciroc, Red Bull and Shopify.
• IDL has reached 1 billion views and impressions across its owned channels, user generated content and livestreams so far in its inaugural season, Axios has learned.
• Unlike traditional major sports where fans primarily interact with highlights in the form of reactions, memes and commentary, IDL fans can recreate the winning routines themselves.
• Those TikToks fuel viral dance trends, circulating far beyond the core fanbase as the moves are performed by megastars like K-pop boy band BTS or turned into an emote on Fortnite.

What they're saying: Part of IDL's strategy was prioritizing digital and social at the outset, says co-founder and CEO Connor Lim. "We have to make sure that we're where our fans are."

• "We're really excited to continue this strategy of being kind of always on and everywhere as long as the fans are there," he says.

Zoom out: These leagues are also setting new precedents in athlete compensation.

• Unrivaled athletes touted the highest average salary in women's professional sports league history at launch and built a childcare center in its Florida complex.
• Those benefits established a new standard for basketball players as they entered negotiations with the WNBA for a new collective bargaining agreement.

• After the recent raise, Front Office Sports reported roughly 95% of players have equity in the league and collectively own about 30%.
• The PWHL struck a long-term CBA ahead of its inaugural season in a bid for stability at the outset. Earlier this year, the players association also published salaries across the league in a bid to promote transparency.
• IDL teams get guaranteed minimums for the season and the league handles travel logistics and costs and visa applications. Teams will also earn winnings based on standings at the end of the season.

Context: The peak of most dance careers is generally a backup or choreography role supporting musical artists.

• Even with the dawn of TikTok, dancers struggled to get credit for their viral creations that generated millions of views for mega-influencers and celebrities.
• While consumers are now quicker to call out creators who don't include dance credits, it's still difficult to directly monetize viral choreography.
• IDL's teams have won dozens of amateur competitions, but crews generally pay organizers for those stage opportunities and winnings rarely cover the costs of travel and rehearsal space.

What to watch: How these leagues build on their momentum for the long term.

• Lim hopes the league's success creates opportunities not just for the teams, but also for individual dancers.
• "The way that we talk about LeBron James, the way we talk about Tiger, the way we talk about Serena, all these people are icons and legends in their own space," he says. "When every person in the street can say who is the GOAT of dance, then I think we've done it."