The WNBA returns to the court on Thursday (August 15) after a month-long break due to the Summer Olympics in Paris and hopes to build on its strong ratings numbers from the first half.
The first half of the season ended with a record attendance of 16 games, reaching more than a million viewers. This exceeded the 15 WNBA games in 1998 that drew seven-figure audiences. That figure included, according to SportsMedia Watch.
Also, the WNBA All-Star Game on July 20, which featured the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team versus the WNBA All-Stars, averaged 3.4 million viewers on ABC, a record for a WNBA All-Star Game and the third-largest audience in league history. SportsMediaWatch said.
ESPN will broadcast the New York Liberty-Los Angeles Sparks game tonight, one of four regular-season WNBA broadcasts still running on ESPN and ABC. Matt Kenny, ESPN’s vice president of acquisitions, said he expects the league’s viewership to remain high as sports fans continue to follow the league’s rising stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, as well as superstars A’Ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Breanna Stewart.
“I just think sports fans are drawn to rivalries and stories,” he said. “Fans started paying more attention, and when they did, they voted with their time and their intent, and it’s great to see that. The numbers are remarkable and I hope it continues.”
Ion, along with ESPN and ABC, will broadcast the WNBA’s Friday doubleheaders for the next five weeks starting 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 starting August 14.
CBS and CBS Sports Network will broadcast a total of seven WNBA regular-season games, beginning with a CBS doubleheader on August 17 featuring Minnesota Lynx-Washington Mystics and New York Liberty-Las Vegas Aces.
