Is it a failure if it only costs the NBA a few million a year, but more greatly broadens the market and consumption of its main product?
I don’t know how the TV contracts are tied together, but if no one is watching and the TV companies are required to broadcast WNBA games in order to broadcast NBA games, then they will pay the NBA less for the total package than they would otherwise. This because they have to pay broadcast personnel to be at the money losing WNBA games and need that money-losing requirement covered in the total package.
So that is how it becomes failure.