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The WNBA got some great television and streaming ratings during its recent All-Star Game, and related festivities. New numbers show that growth is continuing for the league. WNBA viewership on ABC television is up 20 percent from last year's regular season average, per ESPN.
This past Sunday, ABC aired another one of its most-watched #WNBA games this season 👏
🏀 @IndianaFever's win over the @seattlestorm averaged 1.6M avg. viewers (2M peak)
🏀 WNBA on ABC up 20% from '24 reg. season avg. pic.twitter.com/JG9HAtrUHB— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) August 5, 2025
A recent Indiana Fever-Seattle Storm game on ABC averaged 1.6 million viewers, the outlet said. Peak viewership for the game was 2 million.
The Fever are one of the most popular franchises in the WNBA. Indiana has one of the league's biggest names on the roster, in Caitlin Clark. Clark has been injured and didn't log a minute of playing time against the Storm.
Television ratings since Clark entered the league in 2024 have surged for the WNBA. Indiana's next game is on Tuesday night, against the Los Angeles Sparks.
The WNBA is hoping to turn the league into a profitable enterprise
The WNBA has not made money since the league was founded more than two decades ago. Fans hope that the league's core of young stars like Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and others will help professional women's basketball become a profitable enterprise each year.
The league's recent All-Star Game festivities certainly helped raise the profile. Even though Clark was out of the game and injured, she still appeared on the TV broadcast. In the game, Team Collier defeated Team Clark 151-131.
An ongoing debate is also going on about how much to pay WNBA players. Players wore shirts saying “Pay Us What You Owe Us” during All-Star weekend. After Napheesa Collier received the MVP trophy at the league's all-star game, fans cheered on behalf of the players for asking for more money.
“That was a powerful moment,” Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said of that moment, per ESPN. “We didn't, at least as players, we didn't know that was going to happen. So it was a genuine surprise. Those chants tonight, those signs, it just shows that as players, we are united, but the fans are united in believing what we're seeking.”
Plum said she thinks the WNBA heard the player's message.
“We wanted to do something that was united as a collective, and I thought that it's a very powerful moment and got the point across,” Plum said. “Sometimes, you don't have to say anything.”
Time will tell if the WNBA is able to continue this upward trend of popularity.
