The WNBA’s opening weekend saw a surge in viewership, with Caitlin Clark’s highly anticipated game against the New York Liberty May 18 breaking records and drawing in a massive audience. The Indiana Fever’s 91-80 loss to the Liberty became the most-watched WNBA game on ABC, bringing an average of 1.71 million viewers, according to Nielsen figures released by ESPN Tuesday.
The game, featuring Clark, a two-time reigning consensus national player of the year, peaked at 1.96 million viewers. The milestone highlights the attention surrounding Clark’s transition from a college sensation at Iowa to a professional draw in the WNBA. During the game, Clark delivered a solid performance, scoring 22 points, providing eight assists and grabbing six rebounds. Despite the Fever’s 0-4 start to the season, Clark's presence on the court continues to attract attention.
The opening weekend doubleheader in all had 1.5 million average viewers, a 143% increase from 2023’s season average on ABC.
Caitlin Clark's game vs. New York Liberty peaked at nearly 2 million viewers
Clark’s WNBA regular season debut May 14 against the Connecticut Sun had already set a precedent by becoming the most-watched WNBA game in 22 years, with ESPN PR reporting it as the most-watched WNBA game on network platforms in league history. This trend of high viewership followed Clark from her college days, where she led the Iowa Hawkeyes to record-breaking viewership numbers, including a peak of 17 million viewers during their Final Four victory over UConn.
The Fever vs. Liberty game not only set records for ABC but also served as a strong lead-in for the subsequent match-up between the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and the Los Angeles Sparks. That game attracted an average of 1.34 million viewers, peaking at 1.55 million, making it the third most-watched WNBA game on ABC ever.
ABC’s successful doubleheader, featuring the four WNBA teams, was a significant boost for the network. The pre-game coverage under the “WNBA Countdown” banner saw a 45% increase in viewership compared to last year’s season average on ABC, pulling in 714,000 viewers.
ESPN, which provides production and talent services for ABC, highlighted the impressive ratings. Despite being available on free broadcast television, the Fever-Liberty game recorded slightly lower viewership than the season opener on ESPN, which garnered 2.1 million viewers across cable and streaming platforms, including Disney Plus and ESPN Plus.
In related news, the highly anticipated matchup between Clark and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese will be broadcast on a larger platform. The clash between these two former college hoops superstars will be broadcast on ESPN instead of NBA TV as originally scheduled. The June 1 game between Clark's Indiana Fever and Reese's Sky was flexed to ESPN, a move that is expected to draw significant attention from fans of both players.
The Fever, currently facing tough competition, will look to secure their first win of the season against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
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