Caitlin Clark affects TV ratings more than any superstar since the glory days of Tiger Woods. The WNBA won’t make the same mistake as the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team and keep Clark off the air.
Clark’s Indiana Fever will be featured in no fewer than 41 nationally televised or streamed games, the WNBA announced Thursday. That’s the most of any franchise by far.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Aces, led by three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, will appear in 33 nationally televised games. Breanna Stewart’s defending-champion New York Liberty will get the national TV spotlight 32 times.
A closer look at the Caitlin Clark Effect on the WNBA’s TV schedule:
- Clark’s Fever will make 10 appearances on ABC or ESPN. Disney’s opening-day coverage on May 17 will include a grudge match between Clark’s Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky as well as the Aces vs. Liberty.
- CBS will feature Clark in the WNBA’s first-ever primetime games on broadcast television. The network will broadcast a pair of Fever-Sky games on June 7 and Aug. 9.
- Ion is scheduled to televise eight Clark/Fever games as part of its Friday doubleheader package.
As iconic male superstars like Woods, LeBron James, and Lionel Messi enter the twilight of their careers, the former Iowa star is now arguably the biggest draw in U.S. sports. Clark received the most mentions, male or female, in Morning Consult’s recent poll of America’s favorite active male and female athletes. That was despite going head-to-head with the likes of James, Patrick Mahomes, Steph Curry, Travis Kelce, and Josh Allen.
“With so much excitement around the player movement that took place this winter through free agency and trades, the WNBA’s broadcast and streaming partners in 2025 will spotlight the league’s superstars, rising stars and must-see matchups like never before,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
