You always want a viewership story to sell when you’re a professional sports league and the WNBA has a great stats story to sell in 2024. Last week, ESPN announced that the WNBA regular season was the most-watched season ever for games on ESPN’s airwaves Networks (including ABC). Games attracted an average of 1.2 million viewers, a huge leap forward from last year’s games (440,000 viewers). These are unprecedented percentage increases in sports television.
Something even more impressive? The WNBA had 22 regular season games that averaged more than 1 million viewers – the first time since 2008 that a WNBA game drew more than a million viewers. If you want to add the WNBA All-Star Game and the WNBA Draft, there are 24 programming events during the 2024 calendar year with more than 1 million viewers (Caitlin Clark was part of all but three windowsper sports media watch).
On that note, the WNBA All-Star Game averaged 3.44 million viewers on ABC, breaking the previous audience record set in 2003. The WNBA Draft, featuring Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, averaged a record 2.446 million viewers, a record 307. percent increase in viewers over last year.
What else? There were seven games on ION this season that drew more than 1 million viewers, including last Friday’s game between Indiana and Las Vegas, which averaged 1.2 million viewers. Finally, Sports Media Watch reported that the September 11 game between the Fever and Aces drew the largest WNBA audience ever on NBA TV with 678,000 viewers. The previous high was also set in 2024 with a Fever-Wings game over Labor Day weekend that drew 652,000 attendees.
Just an insane number of viewers for this competition. The new deal also means better programming windows for the WNBA on ABC. pic.twitter.com/l44E9mGzqm
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) September 11, 2024
The Athletics often asks top women’s basketball writers Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman to debate a WNBA issue, but we’re going to change it up a bit here by adding a third voice (me) as we head into the most anticipated postseason in the history of the competition, based at least on viewer interest. The postseason starts on Sunday with four nationally televised matches.
Richard Deitsch: So Ben and Sabreena, kind of a season, huh? I wanted your input on some media-oriented storylines related to the WNBA season. Let’s start with Caitlin Clark, because she has been a transcendent viewer-grabber. That doesn’t take away from the brilliance and interest in other players, but Clark has been the game changer, and the data overwhelmingly shows that. When I’m an ESPN/ABC programming executive, I treat the Fever like the Dallas Cowboys. I’ll put them in my highest profile window and hope I get at least three games out of them against the Sun. Before Game 1, I did a live pregame and postgame show on site. I also used all my social media firepower for that opening round series. That’s not to discount other series, but you want to take advantage of what can be a short stay away from Indiana. How would you promote the Fever if you are ESPN?
Sabreena Trader: It doesn’t seem like the Fever need any extra promotion given the draw regardless of network, time slot and lead-in, but giving them all the bells and whistles seems like the right thing to do. I expect ESPN to send the No. 1 crew of Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo to wherever Indiana opens the postseason, even if that means neglecting the two-time defending champions in Las Vegas, though it helps that the Fever have a reasonable has a chance of success. first round upset. Speaking of the Cowboys, Game 1 of the WNBA postseason pits them against the NFL, presenting an obstacle Clark hasn’t faced yet in her professional career. Will the draw of Clark competing in her first playoff game affect football, or are we in for a ratings slump?
Ben Pickman: If you’re ESPN/ABC, you certainly hope to avoid that disappointment. But even if Indiana’s postseason opener doesn’t match, say, the first Sky-Fever game of the season, based on precedent, it wouldn’t be shocking if Indiana’s opener averages a seven-figure viewership.
Game 1 of last year’s WNBA Finals aired on Sunday and was the most-watched Game 1 ever on an ESPN network. Yet it only averaged just over 700,000 viewers. Game 3, also tipped for a Sunday, averaged 889,000 viewers on ESPN. Fever Games have been blowing those numbers away all season, so even if they go up against an NFL roster, they seem likely to distract viewers.
The league hasn’t announced the full playoff schedule yet, but Game 2 of the Fever series will likely be Tuesday or Wednesday (a non-NFL night), meaning another record could be set. To your original question, Richard, I think what you’ve mapped out – a live pregame and postgame show on site – and a lot of social media content seem like reasonable choices.
Deitsch: Clark has probably found the only entity that can slow her down as a television draw: the NFL. Another topic: One thing I liked this year was the increase in national coverage leading up to the game. ESPN’s WNBA Countdown is a good example of this. The show averaged 503,000 viewers during the regular season, a huge increase from last year. I think the WNBA should really push ESPN to have a daily studio show presence somewhere within the ESPN family of networks during the 2025 WNBA season. If I made you the league’s media czar for 2025, what would you try to implement for the major media partners?
17,000 🤯
The first in the history of women’s sports, and we couldn’t have done it without you. We can’t wait to finish the season and create an incredible home field advantage at Chase Center. Let’s keep making history together! pic.twitter.com/YXgUMZfF2Q
— Golden State Valkyries (@wnbagoldenstate) September 13, 2024
Trader: I totally agree with an ESPN studio show, because there is definitely a need for WNBA conversations that aren’t being had by media personalities who wade into women’s basketball once a month. NBA TV has already tried one, and there have been WNBA segments on NBA Today, but the league needs a dedicated show on a channel that most people can access. The other major thing I would try to address as media czar is some level of consistency in WNBA programming. The NFL exists on several platforms, but fans know that Mondays are ESPN, Thursdays are Amazon, and Sunday nights are NBC. The WNBA needs this kind of rotation with its larger affiliates. Amazon and ION already have their own nights, but it would benefit the league if they had CBS Saturdays and ESPN Sundays, for example, so people know where to go.
Pickman: In addition to achieving greater network consistency, fans often complain about the lack of staggered start times throughout the day, so that’s something we need to take into account. Broadcasting more preseason games (even if they’re just streamed on WNBA League Pass) should also be a priority. There is demand among viewers to see the top rookies in action for the first time and avoid having to watch streamed cell phone footage.
Another new wrinkle will be the addition of the 13th team, the Golden State Valkyries. I’m curious to see how adding another team changes things. It is no longer possible to play the entire competition in one day. On the NBA side, the Golden State Warriors have been a ratings draw in recent years. The Valkyries share ownership and are clearly in the same market. They may lack the star power of other franchises in the WNBA in Year 1, but there is clear interest as they surpassed 17,000 season ticket deposits last week, becoming the first professional women’s sports team to pass that mark. To what extent will major partners commit to broadcasting a new franchise?
Deitsch: You make a good point, Ben. I’m curious about the new WNBA franchises, including Golden State, Toronto and Portland. They could end up with transcendent ratings (think Paige Bueckers or JuJu Watkins). Okay, let’s end with this. Give me the WNBA Finals with the best viewership for the sport, and since it’s clear the Fever would generate the highest viewership in the finals, give me one with the Fever and give me one without the Fever.
Pickman: Fever-Liberty should be the final option that has the highest viewership potential, with Aces-Fever being the second option. If you’re looking for a realistic (i.e. without a Phoenix Mercury Diana Taurasi swan song) matchup without Fever, it’s Liberty-Lynx.
Trader: The series I expect to draw the most attention should be in the semifinals unless the standings change in a big way, and that is Aces-Liberty. I’m curious to see how that number compares to the 2023 matchup so we can learn how much of the viewership increase is the Clark effect. As far as potential finals matches go, Fever-Aces has to be the biggest draw, right? Clark versus the two-time defending champion, the upstart versus the establishment, with Dawn Staley forced to choose between Aliyah Boston or A’ja Wilson? If the fever isn’t involved, the Aces should still be. The Aces going for three-peat will be great theater.
(Photo: Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)