• Loading stock data...
Friday, October 24, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and FOS merch? Take a few minutes to complete our survey and help us improve with your feedback! Take the survey Today

WNBA’s Breakout Season: Record Viewership and Fan Surge Power 2024

  • On Thursday, the WNBA wrapped up one of its most successful seasons since it launched in 1997.
  • Attendance is up 47% across the league, and ESPN viewership increased by 170%.
The Indianapolis Star

On Thursday, the WNBA wrapped up a regular season that will be considered a bellwether for the league moving forward.

The WNBA had seen steady viewership growth over the past half-decade, but financial concerns still threatened its long-term survival.

But in mid-April, the league welcomed the 2024 draft class. The hope was that, following an NCAA women’s championship that was watched by more people than the men’s title game, the likes of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink could help carry over that fandom to the pro level.

And they did.

Spillover

It started at the draft, which was the league’s most watched in history with 2.45 million viewers, nearly four times the average viewership of the 2023 WNBA Finals.

Clark’s Indiana Fever debut on ESPN averaged more than two million viewers, besting any WNBA game in decades. The Fever played Reese and the Chicago Sky four times this season, and ESPN, CBS, and Scripps Sports’ Ion each had its most-watched regular-season game of the year from one of those matchups.

ESPN announced last week that it averaged a record 1.2 million viewers for WNBA regular-season games across its platforms, up 170% versus last year. Perhaps more surprising is that ESPN’s pregame show WNBA Countdown, which averaged 508,000 viewers in 2024, up 113% from last year, drew more than the average viewership for WNBA games from last year, which was 453,900 across ESPN networks.

Ion, which started broadcasting WNBA games last season, announced Thursday a viewership increase of 133% versus 2023. It also reported the largest percentage of female viewers of any network airing WNBA games, with 50% of its audience ages 18–49.

The league’s ratings came at an opportune time as, together with the NBA, it secured a record $2.2 billion media-rights deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon that takes effect in 2026. The total figure could end up as high as $3 billion as the NBA secures deals with more partners, including Scripps Sports.

It’s Not Only on TV

The league has yet to release its overall attendance records, but based on data from WNBA statistics site Across The Timeline, the entire league was up 47% in attendance before Thursday night’s final six games.

Every single team is up double-digit percentages, led by the Fever, who finished the year averaging over 17,000 fans per game, nearly 320% more than last year. The top-seeded New York Liberty followed with 12,730 fans per game, up 63.7%. In June, the Las Vegas Aces became the first team in history to sell out every single home game—though they placed just third in overall league attendance due to the 12,000-seat capacity at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Due to demand, the Aces, Atlanta Dream, and Washington Mystics moved home games against the Fever to arenas with a larger capacity—and sold out those contests. The Connecticut Sun also sold out their first game in Boston against the L.A. Sparks.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Knicks Send Mamdani Cease-and-Desist Over Campaign Ad

The Mamdani campaign said it is adjusting the ad.
YouTube

YouTube in Another Carriage Dispute, This Time With Disney

ESPN and ABC could be dropped from the No. 4 U.S. pay-TV distributor.

Featured Today

Christie's

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 18, 2025

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.

Underdog Blue Jays vs. Dodgers’ Mega-Payroll on MLB’s Global Stage

The high-profile matchup caps what has been a breakthrough season for the league.
October 23, 2025

Gambling Issues Dogged Adam Silver’s NBA Before Latest Scandal

Silver vocally backed legalized sports betting in 2014.
Jun 18, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; Grammy award-winning artist Pharrell Williams performs at the Sun Stage during the Something in the Water festival on Saturday, June 18, 2022 in Washington, DC.
October 23, 2025

MLB Will Try to Turn the World Series Into More Than Just..

The league has planned a series of showcase music performances in Toronto.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
October 23, 2025

Raptors, Leafs Shift Games to Make Way for Blue Jays’ World Series..

The Maple Leafs and Raptors adjust game times during the World Series.
October 23, 2025

As the NFL, NBA, and NHL Go Global, The Masters Is Looking..

The tournament’s chairman touted new qualification measures.
Adam Silver
October 22, 2025

Adam Silver Kicks Off Another Cycle of WNBA Labor Tension

The CBA expires next week.
Tony Parker
October 22, 2025

NBA Wants to Launch European League in ‘Next Two Years’

The league is eyeing 10–12 cities for its European venture.