They've won two WNBL championships on the trot and boast a rapidly growing fan base but almost all of the Canberra Capitals' rivals will have a greater television presence this season after the league struck a new broadcast deal.
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The WNBL has linked with Fox Sports, ABC and Kayo to give the league a major boost as all eight clubs prepare to fly to north Queensland for a hectic campaign.
All 60 matches - including 56 regular season matches and four finals games - will be broadcast live on the Kayo sports streaming service.
Seventeen regular season matches will be live on Fox Sports, as will the entire finals series. Nine regular season matches will be simulcast on ABC, with the grand final also to be broadcast on the free-to-air network.
The Capitals will have three regular season matches shown live on Fox Sports with one simulcast on the ABC, figures that fall well below some rivals despite Canberra's standing as champions of the past two seasons.
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The star-studded Southside Flyers have seven matches on Foxtel and five on ABC. Melbourne [five and four], Townsville [five and three], Sydney [five and two], and Bendigo [four and two] enjoy a greater television presence than the Capitals.
Adelaide's schedule mirrors Canberra's, with three matches on the pay television network and one on ABC. Perth have just two matches broadcast on Foxtel, with none on free-to-air stations.
Capitals fans will have to wait until November 26 to see their team in action on Foxtel, with their Thursday night match against Perth in Cairns to be beamed around the nation.
The two sides will meet again on the pay TV network on December 10, before the Capitals close out the regular season with a simulcast blockbuster against Southside on December 13.
Basketball Australia chief executive Jerril Rechter says the broadcast deal will provide the WNBL with "more exposure than ever before".
"Having all 60 games of the 2020 season shown live across Australia will provide a platform to showcase one of world's leading basketball leagues featuring Australia's best established and emerging athletes," Rechter said.
"This high-profile visibility across Australia will help build upon the popularity and growth of women's basketball and inspire a whole new generation."
The league streamed games last year but the quality came under fire. Basketball Australia's head of women in basketball Lauren Jackson says signing a broadcast agreement was at the top of the list this season.
CANBERRA CAPITALS WNBL 2020 FIXTURES
Round one:
Adelaide Lightning v Canberra Capitals at Mackay, Wednesday November 11, 6pm.
Canberra Capitals v Townsville Fire at Mackay, Sunday November 15, 8pm.
Round two:
Canberra Capitals v Bendigo Spirit at Mackay, Monday November 16, 6pm.
Melbourne Boomers v Canberra Capitals at Mackay, Wednesday November 18 6pm.
Sydney Flames v Canberra Capitals at Cairns, Saturday November 21, 9.30pm
Round three:
Southside Flyers v Canberra Capitals at Cairns, Monday November 23, 6pm.
Canberra Capitals v Sydney Flames at Cairns, Wednesday November 25, 6pm
Canberra Capitals v Perth Lynx at Cairns, Thursday November 26, 7pm
Bendigo Spirit v Canberra Capitals at Townsville, Saturday November 28 at 7.30pm
Round four:
Canberra Capitals v Melbourne Boomers at Townsville, Tuesday December 1, 5pm
Canberra Capitals v Adelaide Lightning at Townsville, Friday December 4, 6pm
Townsville Fire v Canberra Capitals at Townsville, Sunday December 6, 6pm.
Round five:
Perth Lynx v Canberra Capitals at Townsville, Thursday December 10, 7pm.
Canberra Capitals v Southside Flyers at Townsville, Saturday December 12 5pm.
*All times AEDT
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
