The highly anticipated game on Aug. 30 between Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever and Angel Reese's Chicago Sky shattered viewership records on ION Network, drawing an average of 1.60 million viewers. That marks the highest WNBA audience ever recorded on the Scripps-owned network, surpassing the previous record of 1.34 million viewers set during a July matchup between the Mercury and Fever.

Last Friday’s game peaked at 1.92 million viewers, per Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star.

The Fever’s dominant 100-81 win over the Sky was the 10th-largest WNBA audience this season and the 21st game to cross the million-viewer threshold, per Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. This season has been a landmark year for the WNBA in terms of viewership, with 22 broadcasts, including the WNBA Draft, now having surpassed 1 million viewers. Prior to this year, the most seven-figure audiences recorded in a single WNBA season was 15, with no game reaching that milestone since 2008.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) questions an official Sunday, May 4, 2025, during a preseason game between the Indiana Fever and the Brazil national team at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa Cit
Fever star Caitlin Clark on taking ‘confident’ approach to Year 2
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) smiles during the second half of a WNBA pre-season game against the Minnesota Lynx at Wintrust Arena.
Sky’s Angel Reese gets 100% real on ‘playoffs’ goal
Chicago Sky player Angel Reese reacts during the WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center.
Sky star Angel Reese abruptly shuts down Caitlin Clark question

Clark's influence on these record-breaking numbers cannot be overstated. The Fever, led by the dynamic guard, have been featured in 18 of the 21 games that crossed the million-viewer mark this season. Even one of the three exceptions benefitted from a direct lead-in from a Fever game. This consistent draw has made Clark one of the most influential figures in driving WNBA viewership this season.

The significance of these numbers is further highlighted by the fact that the WNBA game on ION outperformed all of Friday’s college football games, including the Temple-Oklahoma matchup on ESPN. WNBA games on ION are now averaging 639,000 viewers this season, a remarkable 123% increase from last year’s full-season average of 287,000 viewers.

Friday’s matchup was the 18th WNBA broadcast this season to set a new viewership record for the network airing it, with all but one of those records involving a game featuring Clark. This speaks to the undeniable impact Clark has had on increasing the visibility and popularity of the WNBA.

With two more games featuring Clark on ION’s schedule, including a potential playoff preview against the Minnesota Lynx and a clash with defending champion Las Vegas Aces, the network is poised to continue its record-breaking run.