E.W. Scripps said that ratings for its WNBA games on Ion increased 133% in the league’s just-completed season, averaging 670,000 viewers per game.
Scripps pushed into women’s sports with the WNBA and the National Women’s Soccer League, and credited women’s sports for giving it a boost in upfront advertising sales.
Scripps added more than 20 new advertisers during Ion WNBA telecasts during the second year of its three-year deal with the league.
Women’s basketball got a boost from the Caitlin Clark effect as college basketball’s leading all-time scorer joined the WNBA as a rookie and her games attracted new viewers to the league. The Paris Summer Olympics also raised the profile of women athletes.
Ion had the largest share of female viewers of any network airing WNBA games this season, with women comprising 50% of viewers 18-to-49 and 45% of all viewers.
Male viewers in the 25-54 age demographic increased by 181%.
For the season, Ion’s games, presented by State Farm, attracted 23.4 million unique viewers across games and wrap shows.
Ion also delivered more than 3.7 million hours of viewing this season on streaming platforms including Roku, Samsung TV Plus, LG, Vizio, Xumo, Plex, Amazon Fire Channels, Pluto, CW and Tablo.
“This season was a big step forward for the WNBA and its players in terms of exposure both in arenas and on television,” said Brian Lawlor, Scripps Sports president. “It was so fun to watch the momentum build throughout the season. Scripps is thrilled to have played a part in that.”
The WNBA in July reached new rights deals with The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, NBC and Amazon worth $2.2 billion over 11 years.
Scripps expects to be able to renew its deal with the WNBA beyond next season.
“We are incredibly pleased with the success of our partnership with Scripps Sports, which has played a pivotal role in amplifying the reach and visibility of the WNBA season,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Through this partnership, we’ve been able to showcase great basketball with a broader audience, deepening the connection between the league, the players and our growing fanbase while delivering record-breaking viewership numbers.”
