The WNBA returns to the court on Thursday (August 15) after a monthlong break for the Paris Summer Olympics, hoping to build on its strong first-half ratings numbers.
The season’s first half concluded on a viewership high note, with a record 16 games generating more than 1 million viewers, besting the 15 WNBA games garnering seven-figure viewership in 1998 — a number which included regular season and postseason games, according to SportsMedia Watch.
Also, the July 20 WNBA All-Star game, which pitted the U.S. women’s Olympic team against the WNBA All-Stars, averaged 3.4 million viewers on ABC, a record for a WNBA All-Star game and the third-biggest audience in league history, SportsMedia Watch said.
ESPN will air the New York Liberty-Los Angeles Sparks game tonight, one of four regular-season WNBA telecasts left across ESPN and ABC. ESPN VP of acquisitions Matt Kenny said that he expects the league viewership to remain hot as sports fans continue to follow the league’s emerging stars, such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, along with superstars A’Ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Breanna Stewart.
“I just think that sports fans gravitate toward rivalries and storylines,” he said. “Fans started to pay more attention, and when they did, they voted with their time, and they voted with their intention, and it's great to see. The numbers have been remarkable and I hope it continues.”
Along with ESPN and ABC, Ion will telecast Friday WNBA doubleheader games over the next five weeks beginning August 16, while NBA TV will air 19 games through the end of the regular season. Amazon Prime Video will stream six regular-season games beginning August 14.
CBS and CBS Sports Network will air a combined seven WNBA regular season games, beginning with an August 17 CBS doubleheader featuring the Minnesota Lynx-Washington Mystics and New York Liberty-Las Vegas Aces games.
