Sunday marked the start of the offseason for the WNBA, brought in when the New York Liberty secured its first WNBA championship in a controversial win against the Minnesota Lynx. But beyond the franchise’s first win, the record books will be boasting some other firsts when it comes to the league as a whole.
According to ESPN statistics, the WNBA Finals were the most watched in 25 years with an average 1.6 million viewers, jumping 115% compared to last year. Games 3, 4 and 5 in particular were the most-viewed WNBA Finals ever to air on cable, the data shows.
Including finals, the postseason in full averaged 1.1 million viewers, also making it the most-viewed in 25 years and jumping 139% since 2023. That’s comparable to the full season’s statistics at an average 1.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched full season on ESPN platforms ever and jumping 170% compared to last year.
The most-watched game in the 2024 WNBA season aired on June 23, when an average 2.3 million viewers watched Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky beat Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever 88-87. A rookie rivalry storyline has followed the pair since their college playing days, and although the players have spoken out against the so-called beef, it appears many viewers are still interested in how the two match up.
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Reese and Clark’s respective paths from college to professional ball have been credited in the WNBA’s meteoric rise because of how much they captivated basketball fans. Each one chased and broke records, drew sold-out arenas for their teams and elevated the expectations for the game.
After their college runs ended, fans watched to see where their careers would take them in the 2024 WNBA Draft. It became the most-viewed WNBA Draft ever with an average 2.4 million viewers, jumping 328% since last year. And when the pair played on the same team for the WNBA All-Star Game, an average 3.4 million viewers tuned in, making it the largest audience ever for the match, per ESPN.
With a 413% increase in WNBA social media engagement in addition to the TV growth, the 2025 season is bound to keep the records coming. There’s no set date yet for when the first match will kick off, but it’s expected to come in May 2025.
