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2.3M Viewers for Jun 23 Fever at Sky (most in 23 yrs); 2.25M for Jun 16 Sky at Fever. 2.45M for WNBA Draft (most for a WNBA game or event in 24 yrs)

Diana Taurasi won't like this!

Nearly 2.5 million for WNBA Draft, league’s top audience since 2000​


By Jon Lewis
April 16, 2024


If there was any question whether the Caitlin Clark effect would continue into her WNBA career, they may have been answered Monday night.

The 2024 WNBA Draft, in which Clark was picked first overall by the Indiana Fever, averaged 2.45 million viewers on ESPN — the largest WNBA audience of any kind since 2000, when a Memorial Day Liberty-Comets game averaged 2.74 million on NBC. No other WNBA telecast, including the playoffs and finals, has managed even one million viewers since 2008.

Viewership increased more-than-fourfold over last year’s draft, which averaged 572,000 on ESPN. The previous record for the draft was 601,000 in 2004, when Diana Taurasi was picked first overall.
 
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Tenacious E said:
That’s why they pimped her out, I assume for free.
Click to expand...

not sure how that works; she may give the entire outfit back. If not, she'll have to pay taxes on the value (she'd get a 1099 since the value of the sunglasses, top, jacket, skirt and shoes total way more than $600)

she didn't seem completely comfortable; she was constantly looking down and when she sat down she crossed her legs (obviously) and put her hand down to keep the skirt down (and not show anything)
 
If it's like other events like that they do not get to keep the outfit...unless they pay for it. But really, why would you? The chances of you ever wearing it again are very small.
 
Franisdaman said:
not sure how that works; she may give the entire outfit back. If not, she'll have to pay taxes on the value (she'd get a 1099 since the value of the sunglasses, top, jacket, skirt and shoes total way more than $600)

she didn't seem completely comfortable; she was constantly looking down and when she sat down she crossed her legs (obviously) and put her hand down to keep the skirt down (and not show anything)
Click to expand...
I guess didn’t study her that closely . Just thought she had a cool fit and there are tax consequences I’m sure she’s got a guy for that.
 
ICWestfan said:
It's also the first time the sold tickets to the WNBA draft, correct?
Click to expand...

The 2024 WNBA draft was open to fans for the first time since 2016. And it didn’t take long for those fans to get their tickets to see Caitlin Clark.

It was announced that tickets for this year’s draft, of which there were roughly 1,000, sold out within 15 minutes of going on sale.

Source:

justwomenssports.com

WNBA draft tickets sell out in 15 minutes - Just Women's Sports

The 2024 WNBA draft will likely see Caitlin Clark go No. 1 overall after the Iowa senior announced she would forgo her final year of collegiate eligibility.
justwomenssports.com justwomenssports.com
 
Most people communicate with watched it. I plan to set up Fever games to record.

If the WNBA really takes off and Caitlin becomes the star we expect. and becomes a free agent, and Des Moines is looking for a sure thing pro franchise.........
 
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Franisdaman said:
Fever ticket sales have sucked.

Until now.

10,000 people last night were downtown eating and drinking.

What an effect, indeed.

View embedded media
Click to expand...

Contrary to myth, gladiators were too valuable to be killed at the end of matches. Caitlin will not be babied, but her value to the league will be disproportionate to her individual position on her team. Her star power fills arenas which bolsters urban economies. This revenue also translates to money franchise coffers which improves player's salaries.

Ultimately the increased popularity makes for increased TV marketing. A megastar can make this happen. Caitlin is the most popular player with the largest fan base in history. What other woman college basketball player has a cereal box, several national commercials, has been on Saturday Night Live, was the No 1 pick in the WNBA draft, along with most college career records in her possession?
 
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I'm guessing if you added up every wnba event throughout history it wouldn't equal 2.45 million viewers
 
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I am sure "Angel" is saying the 2.25M were tuning in to CBS on Sunday, June 16, to watch her. :( Meanwhile, anyone with a brain knows who everyone was tuning in to see.

The story:

Second meeting of Clark, Reese, sets new high for WNBA​

by Jon Lewis
June 18, 2024


USATSI-23561815-scaled-e1718719862846-750x375.jpg

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles around Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) on Sunday June 16, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Fever beat the Sky 91-83.



The WNBA scored its largest audience of the season — and top audience in 23 years — for the season’s second meeting of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

Sunday’s Sky-Fever WNBA regular season game averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.25 million viewers on CBS, surpassing Fever-Sun on ESPN2 Opening Night — Caitlin Clark’s debut (1.2, 2.12M) — as the most-watched WNBA game since Memorial Day 2001 (Sparks-Comets: 2.44M).

Ratings and viewership tripled Mercury-Liberty on CBS in the same window last year, which drew a 0.44 and 694,000.

The Caitlin Clark-led Fever have now played in each of the five most-watched WNBA games since 2002, with two of those five matchups coming against Chicago.

Additional details on the weekend in WNBA viewership are forthcoming.
 
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Most watched WNBA games since 2001:

(1) 2.44M viewers: Memorial Day 2001 (LA Sparks vs Houston Comets)

(2) 2.25M viewers on CBS TV: Sunday June 16, 2024, Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever

(3) 2.12M viewers on ESPN2: Tues May 14, 2024, Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun (WNBA Opening Night & Caitlin’s WNBA debut)
 
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Story from ESPN:

Sky-Fever with Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark tops WNBA ratings​


June 18, 2024


The Indiana Fever's 91-83 victory over the visiting Chicago Sky on Sunday was the WNBA's most-watched game in 23 years, CBS announced Tuesday.

The game featured 2024 first overall pick Caitlin Clark of the Fever and No. 7 overall pick Angel Reese of the Sky. The contest averaged 2.25 million viewers, a 225% increase over a comparable game window last season between the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty.

Sunday's viewership reached its peak at 3 million viewers.

Clark scored 23 points to mark the seventh time this season that she had at least 20 in a game. Clark also had nine assists and eight rebounds to lead the Fever to back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Also, Sunday's game was the most streamed WNBA game ever on Paramount+ across households, minutes and average minute audience.

www.espn.com

Clark-Reese draws WNBA's top rating in 23 years

CBS announced Tuesday that the Fever's win over the Sky on Sunday was the WNBA's most-watched game in 23 years.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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Franisdaman said:
I am sure "Angel" is saying the 2.25M were tuning in to CBS on Sunday, June 16, to watch her. :( Meanwhile, anyone with a brain knows who everyone was tuning in to see.

The story:

Second meeting of Clark, Reese, sets new high for WNBA​

by Jon Lewis
June 18, 2024


USATSI-23561815-scaled-e1718719862846-750x375.jpg

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles around Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) on Sunday June 16, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Fever beat the Sky 91-83.



The WNBA scored its largest audience of the season — and top audience in 23 years — for the season’s second meeting of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

Sunday’s Sky-Fever WNBA regular season game averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.25 million viewers on CBS, surpassing Fever-Sun on ESPN2 Opening Night — Caitlin Clark’s debut (1.2, 2.12M) — as the most-watched WNBA game since Memorial Day 2001 (Sparks-Comets: 2.44M).

Ratings and viewership tripled Mercury-Liberty on CBS in the same window last year, which drew a 0.44 and 694,000.

The Caitlin Clark-led Fever have now played in each of the five most-watched WNBA games since 2002, with two of those five matchups coming against Chicago.

Additional details on the weekend in WNBA viewership are forthcoming.
Click to expand...

Here are those additional details:

The Caitlin Clark-led Fever have now played in each of the five most-watched WNBA games since 2002, with two of those five matchups coming against Chicago.

The Sky-Fever game was not the only outsized WNBA draw last weekend. On Saturday, ABC averaged 996,000 for a Liberty-Aces WNBA Finals rematch — the most-watched WNBA game since 2008, excluding those that either involved the Clark-led Fever or followed one of their games. New York’s win, which peaked with 1.22 million during the final quarter-hour, topped the previous high set a week earlier by Liberty-Sun, which drew 962,000.

ABC also drew 757,000 for Storm-Mercury on Sunday, peaking with 951,000 during the final quarter-hour. ABC has averaged 1.16 million viewers for its five WNBA games this season, up 85% from its full-season average last year.

Going back to last week, ION chipped in 330,000 for regional action on Friday.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

Second meeting of Clark, Reese, sets new high for WNBA

The WNBA scored its largest audience in 23 years for the season's second meeting of Caitlin Clark's Fever and Angel Reese's Sky.
www.sportsmediawatch.com www.sportsmediawatch.com
 
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Franisdaman said:
Won't the WNBA numbers only get better now that there are not NBA games?
Click to expand...
IMHO, I wouldn't necessarily say that they would. If the two leagues were on par or close to par, I may give the WNBA more weight. Based on the overall quality of the product, at this juncture, I would say no. However, after actually developing a taste for crow after eating it for so long, I hope I'm wrong.
 
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Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever set yet another Viewership Record​

by Jon Lewis
June 21, 2024


Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are setting viewership records almost every time they take the floor, the latest coming Wednesday night, June 19.

Wednesday’s Mystics-Fever WNBA regular season game averaged 460,000 viewers on NBA TV, marking the largest WNBA audience ever on the network, which became Nielsen-rated in 2010. Indiana’s win, which peaked with 566,000 viewers in the 8:30 PM ET quarter-hour, surpassed the previous high of 430,000 set by Fever-Liberty earlier this month.

NBA TV has now scored its largest audience on four separate occasions this season, all involving the Clark-led Fever. The Fever’s five appearances on the network this season rank as its five most-watched WNBA games. Entering this season, the largest WNBA audience on NBA TV was 210,000 for a 2014 Lynx-Mercury winner-take-all playoff game to determine who would advance to the WNBA Finals, a figure that has been surpassed six times this year (including by Liberty-Sky on June 4).

Every network that carries the WNBA has set at least one viewership record this season, with a total of 11 games hitting network highs. All-but-one of those records was set by a Clark game, the exception being Liberty-Lynx at CBS record 704,000 on May 25 — a mark that has since been broken by the Fever against the Sky last weekend (2.25M).

WNBA viewership records by network this season​


wnbachartupdated.png



To put it another way, ten of the 16 Fever games this season has set a network viewership record. Of the six exceptions, four were not carried on a Nielsen-measured platform. Thus ten of 12 Fever games on Nielsen rated TV have set a viewership record, the exceptions being a June 10 matchup with the Sun on NBA TV and Indiana’s first meeting with Chicago on ESPN June 1.

Later Wednesday night, Storm-Aces averaged 179,000 viewers.

So far this season, WNBA games on NBA TV are averaging 241,000 viewers — up 346% from the same point last season (54K). NBA TV finished last season averaging 46,000 viewers across 47 games, which was a four-year-high at the time.
 
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Still surprising that the WNBA Draft drew more viewers than any game the league has played in 23 years, that's kind of sad albeit not surprising coming so soon after the Final Four. Wonder if Sunday on ESPN will actually beat it since the game is a bit later in the afternoon than the previous 11 AM Sky-Fever games? Should beat the current ESPN record anyway. I wonder what the peak possible audience would even be. Is 3 million the absolute most they could ever hope for? 5 million under the most perfect of circumstances?
 
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