2.5M Viewers: Sep25 Fever@Conn (most in 24 yrs); 3.44M: All Star Game (most for WNBA game/event in 27yrs); 2.3M:Jun23 Fever@Sky; 2.45M: WNBA Draft

[Franisdaman]

​

No WNBA game had hit the million-viewer mark since 2008.

Then Caitlin arrived.

Clark’s playoff debut scores big despite NFL​

by Jon Lewis
Sep 24, 2024

Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks to pass the ball defended by Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones (42) in the first quarter during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images



Despite airing in the thick of an NFL Sunday, Caitlin Clark’s playoff debut still delivered a milestone audience for the WNBA.

Sunday’s Fever-Sun first round WNBA playoff Game 1 averaged 1.84 million viewers on ABC, marking the largest WNBA playoff audience in any round since the deciding Game 2 of the 2000 WNBA Finals (Liberty-Comets: 2.12M), and the most-watched outside of the WNBA Finals since Game 2 of the Sparks-Comets 1999 Western Conference Final (2.62M).

Indiana’s blowout loss was the most-watched WNBA game to ever air on an NFL Sunday, surpassing Game 2 of the 2003 WNBA Finals (Sparks-Shock: 1.28M).

It was the 24th WNBA game this season to cross the million-viewer threshold (and 25th total telecast including the WNBA Draft), with Caitlin Clark having played in all-but-three (23 Fever games and the WNBA All-Star Game).

Prior to this season, the record for million-viewer audiences in a WNBA season was 15 in 1998. No game had hit the million-viewer mark since 2008.

Clark's playoff debut scores big despite NFL

Despite airing in the thick of an NFL Sunday, Caitlin Clark's playoff debut still delivered a milestone audience for the WNBA.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Franisdaman]

1.8 million viewers tuned in for Caitlin Clark's playoff debut amidst an NFL Sunday.

Only 2 WNBA *FINALS* in league history have averaged higher viewership.

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Tenacious E]

View embedded media

The W is praying for a game 3. Or should be.

 

[Franisdaman]

The W is praying for a game 3. Or should be.

The numbers are crazy.

There were 4 WNBA playoff games on Sunday.

1.840M viewers: Fever vs Sun

1.274M viewers: the other 3 games combined

 

[Tenacious E]

The numbers are crazy.

There were 4 WNBA playoff games on Sunday.

1.840M viewers: Fever vs Sun

1.274M viewers: the other 3 games combined

I didn't watch a second of any other game and frankly, turned it off 1/2 through the 4th quarter when they were down about 20. Once the sun sets on the fever (hopefully no pun intended), I'm out.

 

[HFan1981]

The difference between Caitlin and no Caitlin for the rest of the playoffs is serious money and exposure being left on the table. We don't want officials in our pocket. We want a level fair playing field from the refs. Apparently zero memos went out that excess physicality (brutality) shouldn't be allowed. The commish is clueless.

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Franisdaman]

Summary of viewership of Caitlin games or events:

Wed Sep 25, 2024 Indiana at Connecticut, Game 2 of 1st Round of Playoffs (2.537M viewers on ESPN):



Sun Aug 18, 2024 Seattle at Indiana (2.23M viewers on ABC):





Sat July 20, 2024 WNBA All-Star Game (3.44M viewers on ABC):





June 23, 2024 Indiana at Chicago Game (2.3M Viewers on ESPN):




June 16, 2024 Chicago at Indiana Game (2.252M Viewers on CBS):




2024 WNBA Draft (Mon, Apr 15, 2024 on ESPN):

No other WNBA telecast, including the playoffs and finals, had managed even one million viewers since 2008.

 

[Franisdaman]

Clark’s season finale among best-ever WNBA audiences​

by Jon Lewis
Sep 26, 2024

Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots during the second half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images


The final game of Caitlin Clark’s historic rookie season set yet another WNBA viewership milestone.

Wednesday’s Fever-Sun first round WNBA playoff Game 2 averaged 2.54 million viewers on ESPN, marking the league’s largest audience ever on cable and tenth-largest overall. It is one of only two games this season to rank among the league’s top ten, joining the WNBA All-Star Game on ABC in July (3.44M).

Connecticut’s series-clinching win — which peaked with 3.4 million viewers — trails only the aforementioned All-Star Game as the most-watched WNBA telecast since Memorial Day 2000 (Liberty-Comets: 2.74M) and ranks as the most-watched playoff game since the deciding Game 3 of the 1999 Finals (Liberty-Comets: 3.25M). Those games aired on NBC.

It was the 26th WNBA telecast this season to top the million-viewer mark, with Caitlin Clark having played in 22 (21 Fever games and the WNBA All-Star Game).

Of the four exceptions, two led out of Clark games — including Wednesday’s Mercury-Lynx Game 2. Minnesota’s win averaged 1.22 million, peaking at 2.1 million, trailing only the two Fever-Sun games as the most-watched WNBA playoff game since Game 2 of the 2003 Finals (Sparks-Shock: 1.28M).

This year’s postseason already accounts for the four largest playoff audiences since 2003 — both Fever-Sun games, Mercury-Lynx Game 2 and Tuesday’s Storm-Aces Game 2 (988K). The full first round averaged 1.1 million viewers, the highest average on record for an opening round of the WNBA postseason.

Prior to this season, no WNBA game of any kind had hit the million-viewer mark since Candace Parker‘s career debut in 2008. From 2009-23, the league’s top audience was 913,000 viewers for the deciding Game 5 of the 2017 Finals (Sparks-Lynx) — a figure that has been surpassed 28 times this season.

The most-watched WNBA game all-time remains the first one, Liberty-Sparks on NBC in July 1997. The league’s inaugural game averaged 5.04 million.

For Clark, Game 2 marked the end of a historic year on and off the court — fueling a slew of viewership records throughout her senior year at Iowa and into her first year in the WNBA.

Clark's season finale among best-ever WNBA audiences

The final game of Caitlin Clark's historic rookie season set yet another WNBA viewership milestone with more than 2.5 million viewers.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Franisdaman]

Look at the drop off....

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[hawkeye_wx]

The Sunday Aces @ Liberty game got 929,000 viewers. It's not CC numbers, but it's good for a non-CC game.

 

[Franisdaman]

The Sunday Aces @ Liberty game got 929,000 viewers. It's not CC numbers, but it's good for a non-CC game.

Later in the day, Game 1 of the Sun-Lynx series averaged 654,000 viewers on ESPN.

The Sep 25th Fever at Connecticut game got 2.5M viewers, of course (the most in 24 yrs).

The story:

If well below Clark heights, WNBA ratings still rising as semis begin

While nowhere close to the heights of a Caitlin Clark game, WNBA viewership continues to rise as the semifinals begin.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Tenacious E]

Won’t be a good night with the debate, Iran/israel, and of course no Caitlin.

 

[Franisdaman]

Won’t be a good night with the debate, Iran/israel, and of course no Caitlin.

Good story, in case you/anyone missed it from 3 days ago:

If well below Clark heights, WNBA ratings still rising as semis begin

While nowhere close to the heights of a Caitlin Clark game, WNBA viewership continues to rise as the semifinals begin.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Tenacious E]

Good story, in case you/anyone missed it from 3 days ago:

If well below Clark heights, WNBA ratings still rising as semis begin

While nowhere close to the heights of a Caitlin Clark game, WNBA viewership continues to rise as the semifinals begin.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

I will be curious though how the second and third games of those series do.

 

[Franisdaman]

I will be curious though how the second and third games of those series do.

No Caitlin Clark? No 1,000,000 plus average viewership.

Tuesday, Oct 1's numbers:

969,000: Aces at Liberty
668,000: Sun at Lynx

The Story:

Aces-Liberty sets another new high for WNBA semifinals​

Jon Lewis
October 4, 2024


Tuesday’s Aces-Liberty WNBA semifinal Game 2 averaged a 0.56 rating and 969,000 viewers on ESPN2, surpassing Sunday’s Game 1 on ABC (929K) as the most-watched semifinal game since 2002. New York’s win, which peaked with 1.2 million viewers, trails only Caitlin Clark’s career debut in May (2.12M) as the most-watched WNBA game ever on ESPN2.

Like Game 1, Game 2 outdrew all four games of last year’s WNBA Finals between the same two teams, the most-watched of which was Game 4 with 889,000. It also outdrew every WNBA game from 2009-23, a 15-year stretch in which no game averaged more than the 913,000 who watched the deciding Sparks-Lynx WNBA Finals Game 5 in 2017.

Ratings increased 62% and viewership 72% from last year’s comparable Sun-Liberty Game 2 on ESPN (0.35, 563K).

Later in the night, Sun-Lynx Game 2 averaged a 0.39 and 668,000 — up 17% and 28% respectively from last year’s Wings-Aces Game 2 (0.33, 522K). Both games faced MLB Postseason action on ESPN and a political debate that averaged more than 40 million.

Ratings: WNBA, SEC on ABC and more

WNBA playoff viewership continues to rise; the SEC is powering ABC to its best five-week start in eight years; and more.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Franisdaman]

No Caitlin Clark? No 1,000,000 plus average viewership.

Sunday, Oct 6 numbers:

 

[pablow]

I'm watching the Lynx/Sun game. If Nielsen phones, I'll deny it. This is trash.

 

[Hawksfor3]

I'm watching the Lynx/Sun game. If Nielsen phones, I'll deny it. This is trash.

Watching Pacers/Hawks.

 

[Franisdaman]

Without Caitlin, the WNBA doesn't average 1,000,000 viewers.

WNBA Playoff Viewership still strong entering Finals​

by Jon Lewis
October 10, 2024


If below the record-setting levels of Caitlin Clark games, WNBA viewership remains historically strong entering the Finals.

The first two rounds of the WNBA Playoffs averaged 970,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, more-than-double the same point last year (400K). Excluding three games that either featured or had a direct lead-in from Caitlin Clark and the Fever (1.86M), the postseason is averaging 771,000 viewers — still considerably above last year’s levels.

After the first round of the playoffs averaged 1.10 million (+191%), the semifinals took an expected hit from Clark’s exit — but still averaged 850,000, up 99% from last year (427K).

Friday’s Liberty-Aces semifinal Game 3 delivered the top audience of the round with a 0.60 rating and 994,000 viewers on ESPN2, marking the largest WNBA semifinal audience since 2002. Ratings and viewership more-than-doubled last year’s equivalent Aces-Wings Game 3 (0.25, 382K).

Sunday’s clinching Game 4 averaged a 0.58 and 979,000 on ABC, up 73% and 69% respectively from Liberty-Sun in the same window last year (0.33, 579K).

The full Liberty-Aces series averaged 967,000 viewers, up a third from the teams’ meeting in last year’s WNBA Finals (728K). All four games of the series averaged more viewers than any of last year’s four Finals games.

As for the other semifinal, Tuesday’s winner-take-all Sun-Lynx Game 5 averaged a 0.58 and 984,000 — the second-largest semifinal audience since 2002 and the most-watched Game 5 in WNBA playoff history, including the Finals. Ratings and viewership nearly tripled the previous semifinal Game 5, Sun-Sky opposite the NFL Kickoff Game two years ago (0.23, 358K).

Game 3 of the series drew a 0.50 and 885,000 on ESPN2 Friday night — up triple-digits from Liberty-Sun Game 3 last year (0.21, 336K) — and Game 4 had a series-low 0.32 and 538,000 on ESPN Sunday afternoon.

The five-game Lynx-Sun series averaged 752,000 viewers, marking the most-watched playoff series to ever involve either team, including the Finals.

Entering the WNBA Finals, 11 playoff games this year have averaged at least 800,000 viewers, compared to one last season. Indiana’s two games rank as by far the most-watched, with 1.84 million for Game 1 against Connecticut and 2.54 million for Game 2, followed by a Mercury-Lynx Game 2 that immediately followed a Fever game (1.22M).

 

[Tenacious E]

Without Caitlin, the WNBA doesn't average 1,000,000 viewers.

WNBA Playoff Viewership still strong entering Finals​

by Jon Lewis
October 10, 2024


If below the record-setting levels of Caitlin Clark games, WNBA viewership remains historically strong entering the Finals.

The first two rounds of the WNBA Playoffs averaged 970,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, more-than-double the same point last year (400K). Excluding three games that either featured or had a direct lead-in from Caitlin Clark and the Fever (1.86M), the postseason is averaging 771,000 viewers — still considerably above last year’s levels.

After the first round of the playoffs averaged 1.10 million (+191%), the semifinals took an expected hit from Clark’s exit — but still averaged 850,000, up 99% from last year (427K).

Friday’s Liberty-Aces semifinal Game 3 delivered the top audience of the round with a 0.60 rating and 994,000 viewers on ESPN2, marking the largest WNBA semifinal audience since 2002. Ratings and viewership more-than-doubled last year’s equivalent Aces-Wings Game 3 (0.25, 382K).

Sunday’s clinching Game 4 averaged a 0.58 and 979,000 on ABC, up 73% and 69% respectively from Liberty-Sun in the same window last year (0.33, 579K).

The full Liberty-Aces series averaged 967,000 viewers, up a third from the teams’ meeting in last year’s WNBA Finals (728K). All four games of the series averaged more viewers than any of last year’s four Finals games.

As for the other semifinal, Tuesday’s winner-take-all Sun-Lynx Game 5 averaged a 0.58 and 984,000 — the second-largest semifinal audience since 2002 and the most-watched Game 5 in WNBA playoff history, including the Finals. Ratings and viewership nearly tripled the previous semifinal Game 5, Sun-Sky opposite the NFL Kickoff Game two years ago (0.23, 358K).

Game 3 of the series drew a 0.50 and 885,000 on ESPN2 Friday night — up triple-digits from Liberty-Sun Game 3 last year (0.21, 336K) — and Game 4 had a series-low 0.32 and 538,000 on ESPN Sunday afternoon.

The five-game Lynx-Sun series averaged 752,000 viewers, marking the most-watched playoff series to ever involve either team, including the Finals.

Entering the WNBA Finals, 11 playoff games this year have averaged at least 800,000 viewers, compared to one last season. Indiana’s two games rank as by far the most-watched, with 1.84 million for Game 1 against Connecticut and 2.54 million for Game 2, followed by a Mercury-Lynx Game 2 that immediately followed a Fever game (1.22M).

The math works. Caitlin brings about 1M of her own fans that left when she left the playoffs. Numbers are still up year-over-year, obviously, but not what they could be.

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Franisdaman]

5 years ago, Game 1 of the WNBA Finals averaged 238,000 viewers, the smallest audience ever for a Finals game. Viewership has increased in each year since, hitting 1.14 million for Lynx-Liberty Game 1.

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[UpstreamHawkeye]

View embedded media

I definitely wouldn't call that game drama-free!

 

[Franisdaman]

Sunday's Game 2 of the WNBA Finals drew 1.35M

 

[Hawksfor3]

Sunday's Game 2 of the WNBA Finals drew 1.35M

View embedded media

Takes the finals to get those types of views.

 

[Franisdaman]

Wednesday’s Liberty-Lynx WNBA Finals Game 3 averaged 1.39 million viewers on ESPN.