The WNBA’s popularity has been on the upswing, the arrival of Caitlin Clark and other high-profile college basketball players will accelorate its growth.
The WNBA began their 28th season this week in what is widely expected to be its most anticipated season in years. With ratings and attendance on the rise, the league has been firing on all cylinders. This season, with a host of new and well-known collegiate players turning professional, led by Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, all of whom have millions of social media followers, basketball has helped to spark an interest in women’s sports beyond the U.S. national soccer team.
The WNBA season opener on May 14, featured the anticipated professional debut of Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark versus the Connecticut Sun. The game aired on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, streamed on ESPN+ and, in a first, on Disney+. The season opener generated 2.13 million viewers, the most watched WNBA game since 2001 and the highest ever on cable television.
In addition, it was the first time a WNBA game averaged over one million viewers since 2008. In head-to-head competition, the WNBA game delivered more viewers than the Stanley Cup playoff game (Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers) on ESPN which averaged 1.99 million viewers. The NBA Playoff game on TNT/TruTV (New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers) led with 4.88 million viewers. The nightcap of the WNBA doubleheader (Las Vegas Aces vs. Phoenix Mercury), on ESPN2/ESPN Deportes averaged 472,000 viewers, 5% increase over the corresponding game last year.
Before the arrival of Clark and other first-year players, interest in the WNBA has, to use a basketball term, been on the rebound. During the 2023 regular season WNBA games reached over 36 million total unique viewers across all national networks, the highest since 2008 and an increase of 27% from 2022. Last season’s four-game WNBA Finals generated an average audience of 728,000, the most in two decades. In addition, the 2023 WNBA All-Star game generated an average audience of 850,000 viewers, a year-over-increase of 16% and the most watched in 16 seasons.
To no surprise, the ratings growth has continued this year. In April, the WNBA draft, with Caitlin Clark the first pick, averaged a record 2.
