You at all times desire a viewership story to promote if you’re an expert sports activities league and the WNBA has an excellent metrics story to promote in 2024. Final week ESPN introduced that its WNBA common season was its most-watched ever for video games throughout ESPN Networks airwaves (together with ABC). Video games averaged 1.2 million viewers, a large soar over final 12 months’s video games (440,000 viewers). These are extraordinary share will increase in sports activities tv.
One thing much more spectacular? The WNBA had 22 regular-season video games that averaged greater than 1 million viewers — the primary time since 2008 {that a} WNBA sport topped a million viewers. If you wish to add within the WNBA All-Star Sport and the WNBA Draft, it makes 24 programming occasions through the 2024 calendar 12 months that topped 1 million viewers (Caitlin Clark was a part of all however three of those home windows, per Sports activities Media Watch).
On that word: The WNBA All-Star Sport averaged 3.44 million viewers on ABC, crushing the earlier viewers report set in 2003. The WNBA Draft, that includes Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, averaged a report 2.446 million viewers, which is a 307 p.c enhance in viewership over final 12 months.
What else? There have been seven video games on ION this season that topped greater than 1 million viewers together with final Friday’s sport between Indiana and Las Vegas, which averaged 1.2 million viewers. Lastly, Sports activities Media Watch reported that the Sept. 11 sport between the Fever and Aces drew the biggest WNBA viewers ever on NBA TV at 678,000 viewers. The earlier excessive was additionally set in 2024 with a Fever-Wings sport on Labor Day weekend that drew 652,000.
Simply an insane viewership quantity for this league. The brand new deal additionally means higher programming home windows for the WNBA on ABC. pic.twitter.com/l44E9mGzqm
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) September 11, 2024
The Athletic typically asks ace ladies’s basketball writers Sabreena Service provider and Ben Pickman to debate a WNBA subject however we’re going to vary it up a contact right here by including a 3rd voice (me) as we embark on essentially the most anticipated postseason within the league’s historical past, a minimum of based mostly on viewership curiosity. The postseason begins Sunday with 4 nationally televised video games.
Richard Deitsch: So Ben and Sabreena, some form of season, eh? I wished your enter on some media-centric storylines because it pertains to the WNBA season. Let’s begin with Caitlin Clark as a result of she has been a transcendent viewership draw. That doesn’t take away from the brilliance and curiosity in different gamers, however Clark has been the game-changer, and the info overwhelmingly exhibits that. If I’m an ESPN/ABC programming govt, I’m treating the Fever just like the Dallas Cowboys. I’m placing them in my highest profile window and hoping at a minimal I get three video games out of them in opposition to the Solar. I’d do a reside pregame and postgame present onsite previous to Sport 1. I’d additionally load up all my social media firepower on that opening spherical sequence. That’s to not disregard some other sequence, however you wish to benefit from what is likely to be a brief keep from Indiana. How would you promote the Fever if you’re ESPN?
Sabreena Service provider: It doesn’t appear as if the Fever want any extra promotion, contemplating how they’ve drawn no matter community, time slot and lead-in, however giving all of them the bells and whistles appears to be the appropriate play. I count on ESPN to ship the No. 1 crew of Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo to wherever Indiana begins the postseason, even when which means neglecting the two-time defending champions in Las Vegas, although it helps that the Fever have an inexpensive shot of a first-round upset. Talking of the Cowboys, nonetheless, Sport 1 of the WNBA postseason goes up in opposition to the NFL, which presents an impediment that Clark hasn’t but needed to face in her professional profession. Will the draw of Clark competing in her first playoff sport eat into soccer, or are we due for a rankings letdown?
Ben Pickman: For those who’re ESPN/ABC, you’re actually hoping to keep away from that letdown. However even when Indiana’s postseason opener doesn’t match, say, the primary Sky-Fever sport of the season, it wouldn’t be stunning, based mostly on precedent, for Indiana’s opener to common seven-figure viewership.
Sport 1 of final 12 months’s WNBA Finals aired on a Sunday and was the most-viewed Sport 1 ever on an ESPN community. Nonetheless, it averaged solely simply over 700,000 viewers. Sport 3, which additionally tipped on a Sunday, averaged 889,000 viewers on ESPN. Fever video games have blown these numbers away all season lengthy, so even going up in opposition to an NFL slate, they appear prone to decide off viewers.
The league hasn’t introduced its full playoff schedule, however Sport 2 of the Fever sequence probably can be Tuesday or Wednesday (a non-NFL night time), that means one other report could possibly be set. To your unique query, Richard, I feel what you mapped out — a reside pregame and postgame present onsite — and plenty of social media content material looks as if affordable decisions.
Deitsch: Certainly, Clark probably has discovered the one entity that may gradual her down as a tv draw — the NFL. One other matter: One factor I’ve favored this 12 months has been the rise in nationwide pregame protection. ESPN’s WNBA Countdown is a chief instance of that. The present averaged 503,000 viewers through the common season, a large enhance over final 12 months. I feel the WNBA ought to actually push ESPN to have a day by day studio present presence someplace throughout the ESPN household of networks through the 2025 WNBA season. If I made you media czar of the league for 2025, what would you attempt to implement for the most important media companions?
17,000 🤯
First in ladies’s sports activities historical past, and we couldn’t have carried out it with out you. We are able to’t wait to tip off the season and create an unimaginable house court docket benefit at Chase Middle. Let’s maintain making historical past collectively! pic.twitter.com/YXgUMZfF2Q
— Golden State Valkyries (@wnbagoldenstate) September 13, 2024
Service provider: I couldn’t agree extra about an ESPN studio present as a result of there’s completely an urge for food for WNBA conversations that aren’t being had by media personalities who wade into ladies’s basketball as soon as a month. NBA TV has tried one earlier than, and there have been WNBA segments on NBA At present, however the league wants a devoted present on a channel that most individuals have entry to. The opposite essential factor I might attempt to deal with as media czar is a few degree of consistency in WNBA programming. The NFL exists on a number of totally different platforms, however followers know that Monday is ESPN, Thursday is Amazon, and Sunday night time is NBC. The WNBA wants that kind of rotation with its larger companions. Amazon and ION have already got their very own nights, however it will profit the league to have CBS Saturdays and ESPN Sundays, for instance, so that individuals know the place to show.
Pickman: Along with attaining extra community consistency, followers typically complain in regards to the lack of staggered begin instances over the course of a day, in order that’s one thing that ought to be prime of thoughts. Airing extra preseason video games (even when it’s simply streaming them on WNBA League Cross) must also be a precedence. There’s demand amongst viewers to see prime rookies in motion for the primary time and keep away from having to observe on streamed cellphone footage.
One different new wrinkle would be the addition of the thirteenth group, the Golden State Valkyries. I’m curious to see how including only one extra group alters issues. Not can the whole league play on in the future. On the NBA facet, the Golden State Warriors have been a rankings draw lately. The Valkyries share possession and are clearly in the identical market. They could lack the star energy of different franchises within the WNBA in Yr 1, however there’s clear curiosity as final week they surpassed 17,000 season-ticket deposits, changing into the primary skilled ladies’s sports activities group to move that mark. How a lot will main companions lean into broadcasting a brand new franchise?
Deitsch: You make an excellent level, Ben. I’m curious in regards to the new WNBA franchises, together with Golden State, Toronto and Portland. They may find yourself with a transcendent viewership draw (assume Paige Bueckers or JuJu Watkins). Okay, let’s end up with this. Give me the most effective viewership WNBA Finals for the game, and since it’s apparent that the Fever being within the Finals would generate the best viewership, give me one involving the Fever and provides me one with out the Fever.
Pickman: Fever-Liberty must be the finals choice that has the best viewership potential, with Aces-Fever being the second choice. For those who’re on the lookout for a sensible (that means and not using a Phoenix Mercury Diana Taurasi swan music) matchup sans Fever, it’s Liberty–Lynx.
Service provider: The sequence I might count on to attract essentially the most eyes must be within the semifinals except the standings shake up in a significant means, and that’s Aces-Liberty. I’m wanting to see how that quantity compares to the 2023 matchup so we are able to find out how a lot of the viewership rise is the Clark impact. As for potential finals matchups, Fever-Aces must be the largest draw, proper? Clark versus the two-time defending champions, the upstart versus the institution with Daybreak Staley compelled to determine between rooting for Aliyah Boston or A’ja Wilson? If the Fever aren’t concerned, the Aces nonetheless should be it. The Aces going for a three-peat can be nice theater.
(Photograph: Ron Hoskins / NBAE by way of Getty Photographs)
