The WNBA is experieincing a surge in popularity, in part driven by its sensational rookie class, including Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese and Los Angeles Sparks’ Cameron Brink.
In the first week of the season, the league saw a 14% increase in attendance compared to last year, with both New York and Indiana leading the way. The New York Liberty made history by becoming the first team in WNBA history to generate over $2 million in ticket revenue for a single game. Overall, there were 10 sellouts during the league's opening week.
The increase in attendance was mirrored by historic ratings. ESPN's broadcast of Clark's debut game, where the Indiana Fever faced the Connecticut Sun, drew an average of 2.1 million viewers, marking the highest viewership for a WNBA game on the network. A doubleheader on ABC featuring Clark’s Fever against New York and the Sparks against the Las Vegas Aces salso posted impressive numbers, with 1.71 million viewers for the first game and 1.34 million for the second.
“We’re never satisfied as we want more tune-in and more fans, but are really, really pleased,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, via Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. “That’s viewership against really tough competition of the Knicks and the hockey and Game 7s, it’s not lost on me.”
Monday night’s game, a rematch between the Sun and Fever, drew 1.56 million viewers on ESPN.
“It’s not lost on me that on a Monday night to pull in that number, that’s a really good sign,” Engelbert said. “Historically, a lot of sports leagues don’t do well that night except for Monday Night Football.”
So far this season, the five games on ESPN networks have averaged 1.43 million viewers, which is up 181% from the same number of games last season and up 226% from last season’s average. ESPN has added the Chicago-Indiana game on June 1, which will feature the first meeting between Reese and Clark, to its broadcast schedule. Digitally, league pass purchases are up 182% from last year, and app downloads have increased by 146%. The rookies are also driving merchandise sales, with online sales at the WNBA store already surpassing the total for all of last season.
Recent WNBA viewership surge
The WNBA’s opening weekend was not immune to this surge in viewership, with Clark’s highly anticipated game against the 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.
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 had 1.5 million average viewers, a 143% increase from the 2023 season average on ABC. Clark’s WNBA regular season debut May 14 against the Sun had already set a precedent by becoming the most-watched WNBA game in 22 years. ESPN PR reported 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 matchup between the defending champion Aces and the 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 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 Fever and Reese's Sky was flexed to ESPN, The Fever, currently facing tough competition, will look to secure their first win of the season against the Seattle Storm Wednesday.
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