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The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) continues its upward trajectory.
The league concluded the 2024–25 season with record-breaking viewership numbers on ESPN, Disney’s sports network.
Across 50 broadcasts, the WNBA averaged 1.2 million viewers per game, a 5% increase from last season and the highest audience average in the league’s history.
A general view of the WNBA court logo
The games were televised on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. During the 25 regular season games broadcast, the WNBA averaged 1.3 million viewers, marking a 6% rise compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s coverage of 24 playoff games drew an average of 1.2 million viewers, up 5% year-over-year.
The 2025 WNBA Finals, contested between the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces, were broadcast on YouTube TV via ABC and ESPN.
The four-game series averaged 1.5 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched Finals in ESPN’s WNBA history, surpassed only by the 2024 edition.
The opening game drew 1.9 million viewers, the largest audience for a WNBA Finals matchup in 28 years.
Beyond game broadcasts, ESPN’s WNBA programming also saw a surge. WNBA Countdown averaged 437,000 viewers, up 30% compared to last season.
Despite these strong ratings and growing visibility, the WNBA now faces labor unrest.
Players are demanding improved conditions and a new collective bargaining agreement. Without progress, they are prepared to strike, a move that could inflict multimillion-dollar losses on the league.
According to sports economist David Berri, WNBA players in 2025 received less than 7% of Basketball-Related Income (BRI).
Other sources estimate that figure could be between 9% and 10% of total revenues.
Player compensation remains a central issue. Base salaries hover around $75,000, while even the league’s top stars barely surpass $250,000 annually—figures that stand in stark contrast to those of their male counterparts in the NBA.
