In an unprecedented showing of audience engagement, Monday’s 2024 WNBA Draft shattered all previous TV ratings records by drawing an average of 2.446 million viewers on ESPN, marking a staggering 307% uptick from last year’s draft viewership.
The previous record was set two decades ago in 2004, when Diana Taurasi, one of the game's all-time greats, entered the league, drawing 601,000 viewers. Just last year, the draft saw a respectable 572,000 viewers, which at the time was celebrated as a 42% increase from 2022 and the highest since that benchmark year of 2004, per Richard Deitsch of The Athletic.
This year’s draft featured a plethora of talent, including standout stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink. The recognition these players carried from their college days contributed to the heightened interest and record-breaking viewership numbers.
It was the first time the WNBA Draft drew an audience of over 1 million, according to Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. Last year, the NBA Draft had 3.7 million viewers on ABC/ESPN, the MLB Draft had 744,000 on ESPN/MLB Net and the NHL Draft garnered 681,000 viewers on ESPN.
Growth in draft viewership follows record-breaking audiences for NCAA Tournament games
The extraordinary viewership of the WNBA Draft comes on the heels of a momentous year for women's college basketball. Notably, the April 7 NCAA championship game between South Carolina and Iowa garnered a staggering 18.9 million viewers, becoming the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history and the most-viewed college basketball game, men’s or women’s, on an ESPN platform. This game alone saw a 90% increase in viewership over the 2023 championship and a 289% increase from the 2022 game.
Moreover, the Women's Final Four set its own record, averaging 13.8 million viewers, with the Iowa-UConn game attracting 14.4 million, making it the second-most-watched women’s college game on record. Throughout the tournament, spanning 57 games, the viewership averaged 2.2 million per game, a substantial 121% increase from the previous year and the most-watched women's NCAA Tournament since ESPN acquired exclusive rights in 1996.
This surge in viewership for the WNBA Draft and women’s college basketball signifies a changing landscape. The sport is riding a wave of momentum, with audience interest at an all-time high. The increasing popularity is also evident on social media platforms, where the buzz surrounding the draft and the NCAA tournament was palpable.
WNBA plans to expand league
As the dust settles on the draft, the league is starting to set in motion ambitious goals for expansion. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressed a confident vision for the future, targeting the addition of four new teams by 2028, with a near-term aim to introduce the league's 14th team by 2026.
Players like Clark and Reese have not only made names for themselves through their college games but are also seen as catalysts for the WNBA's rising profile. Engelbert emphasized the significance of such talent influx, stating, “We need to market around that.”
The league's immediate focus is on the upcoming expansion draft in December for the newly established Golden State franchise. The addition, owned and operated by the Golden State Warriors, will make use of the Warriors' former practice facility in Oakland and play their games at San Francisco's Chase Center. This expansion marks a significant milestone as it's the first new team since the Atlanta Dream joined the league in 2008.
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