The much-anticipated debut of Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, got off to a solid start.
Friday’s opening night doubleheader averaged 312,000 viewers between TNT and truTV, per Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. The debut game between the Lunar Owls and Mist clocked in at 313,000 viewers with the second game between the Vinyl and Rose ticking down slightly to 311,000 viewers.
To put the league’s numbers in perspective, the two games outpaced WNBA games on cable that did not feature Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark by about 50%, per Lewis. Both games of the doubleheader handily beat TNT’s previous record for a women’s basketball game, a Colorado-LSU matchup that drew 184,000 viewers in November of 2023.
Additionally, Unrivaled’s debut beat out TNT’s NHL doubleheader on Wednesday that same week. Those games averaged 292,000 viewers on a night that is traditionally stronger for viewership, though the doubleheader was played earlier than its usual window.
While Friday night’s game did not feature Clark, who opted not to participate in the league this year, it did feature some of the WNBA’s biggest stars. The first game included WNBA legend Breanna Stewart alongside DiJonai Carrington, Aaliyah Edwards, and Courtney Vandersloot on the Mist. Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams debuted for the Mist, while Cameron Brink did not play due to her ACL injury from last season. The second game featured Chicago Sky star Angel Reese.
Securing an audience of over 300,000 viewers certainly shows a proof-of-concept for the league. While it’s not the Clark-like numbers women’s basketball saw during her time at Iowa and now on the Fever, Unrivaled’s stars are still able to attract a meaningful audience without Clark.
Similarly to the debut of TGL on ESPN earlier this month, the question will be whether or not the league can sustain this level of viewership throughout the season. We’ll have a much clearer picture of Unrivaled’s commercial viability after that.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.