WNBA Day 1 Playoff TV Ratings Show Extent of Caitlin Clark Effect

There’s even more proof of the Caitlin Clark Effect.

ESPN announced that Game 1 between Clark’s Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun averaged 1.8 million viewers on ABC during the 3 p.m. ET time slot Sunday, making it the league’s most-watched playoff game since the 2000 Finals and the most-watched playoff game on ESPN platforms ever despite airing simultaneously with the NFL’s Week 3 games. That number more than doubles the 728,000 average viewership of the 2023 WNBA Finals.

While the Fever-Sun contest set a playoff viewership record, the three other WNBA playoff openers that aired on ESPN only averaged close to 425,000 viewers, less than the 470,000 average for the 2023 playoffs. 

The 1 p.m. contest between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty drew 410,000 viewers, the 5 p.m. matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx averaged 403,000 viewers, and the nightcap, a 10 p.m. showdown that pitted the defending champion Las Vegas Aces against the Seattle Storm, drew 461,000 viewers.

Stiff Competition

The WNBA is no stranger to competing against the NFL as its playoffs trickle into the beginning of football season. But this year was the first time the W had its playoff opening day on a Sunday—and there seems to have been some cannibalization.

While the viewership number for the Fever-Sun game was record-breaking, that number still would not have breached the top five most-watched regular-season games of the year. That list was topped by the June 23 contest between the Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky, which aired on ESPN and drew 2.3 million viewers. MLB was the W’s biggest competition for eyeballs that Sunday.

It also helped the Sky-Fever game in June was settled by just one point. On Sunday, the Fever were blown out by the higher-seeded Sun, 93–69, and all other games were decided by double digits.

The WNBA could look at exploring a schedule change—though that may become even more difficult as the league adds more regular-season games and expansion teams. It will be worth watching whether Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s WNBA games on ESPN will haul in more viewers with the NFL out of the picture.

What If the Fever Are Eliminated? 

The WNBA should be happy with Sunday’s viewership numbers—the four games total are still up 89% compared to last year’s first-round average. But it may have a reality check coming this week. 

Clark and the Fever are not favored to make it past the first round, and because the opening round is a best-of-three series, the Fever could be eliminated Wednesday.

Despite overall growth over the past half decade, Clark is still undoubtedly the league’s biggest draw, considering Fever games top the ratings charts and drive sellouts at opposing teams’ arenas. The rest of the 2024 rookie class brought a contingent of fans to the pro level, but the likes of Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Kamilla Cardoso are also no longer in action.

The residual effects of Clark’s season could easily lead to a record viewership number for the playoffs, but it still will be noteworthy to see exactly how big of an interest drop-off there will be if the Fever are knocked out.

The WNBA has already locked in a media-rights deal worth $2.2 billion that lasts until 2037. It also has the opportunity to make up to $3 billion as it negotiates an extension with Scripps Sports’ Ion and CBS. However, this year’s playoff ratings could ultimately play a factor in the price reevaluation of the league’s media deal after the 2028 season.