Brands Vastly Benefited from the 2024 WNBA Rookie Class and Caitlin Clark Effect: 45% of Total Broadcast Value Came from Indiana Fever Games
SANTA MONICA, Calif., October 28, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Relo Metrics (formerly GumGum Sports), the leading AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform for real-time data decisions, has today released the findings of its 2024 WNBA Brands Insight Report, revealing that the League drove a record $136 Million in Sponsor Media Value (SMV) during the regular season. Major brands, including Nike, AT&T and Michelob Ultra, benefited significantly from soaring social media engagement, with TikTok seeing a 470% increase in engagement per post compared to 2023.
The 2024 WNBA rookie class as a whole, led by Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, drove a 571% increase in WNBA mentions across digital channels. Brands vastly benefited from the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’, with 45% of total broadcast value coming from Indiana Fever games. This is part of a League-wide trend that saw 11 of 12 WNBA teams experiencing an uptick in engagements per post compared to the 2023 season. Collectively, the Full Media Value across all WNBA team social accounts increased by $49M due to growth in engagement.
The top three brands earning the highest social media value (SMV) for the 2024 WNBA Season were Nike ($30M+), AT&T ($12M) and Michelob Ultra ($9.3M). Financial Services had the highest saturation of any brand category – a trend consistent with the NBA – with Gainbridge, the stadium naming rights partner for the Indiana Fever, leading the way. This was despite having fewer total logo exposures than the next closest naming rights partner, Barclays (New York Liberty).
Player uniforms were the main source of value for both the WNBA technical partner and team sponsors. This asset received nearly 207K overall exposures across broadcast and social media platforms, and with social content being mostly focused on players, uniforms accounted for 73% of total value generated through social media.
Underlining the importance of these trends is the strong yearly growth in national TV viewership, which increased by 60% for ABC, 47% for CBS and 156% for ESPN. The game between Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm on August 18, 2024, was watched by over 2.7 million viewers – the most popular game of the regular season.
“The 2024 season marks a pivotal moment in the history of the WNBA, showcasing significant growth in TV viewership, sponsorship value, and the league’s overall presence in the North American sports landscape,” commented Jay Prasad, CEO, Relo Metrics. “Brands increasingly recognize the unique opportunity it offers to connect with passionate fans and support a league that champions equality and empowerment.”
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