It’s become cliché at this point to note that the WNBA is chugging along just fine while Caitlin Clark is out dealing with her injuries. Still, it’s always good to note that even without her and other big-name stars in this year’s playoffs, the ratings continue to look solid.
On Tuesday, ESPN announced that the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, which took place recently, garnered an average audience of 943,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. That makes it the second-most-watched first round in league history, trailing only last year’s version, which featured Clark (briefly).
ESPN scored its 2nd most-watched #WNBAPlayoffs First Round ever 👏
Semifinals continue this week on ESPN networks pic.twitter.com/lkD3cuzTBc
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) September 23, 2025
Per ESPN, Game 2 in the series between the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever averaged 1.5 million viewers, making it the second most-watched first-round Game 2. Meanwhile, the second contest between the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm averaged 1.1 million viewers, ranking it fourth all-time.
That Dream-Fever series, which went three games, was the second-most-watched first-round series to date, averaging 1.2 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. It’s behind only 2024’s Fever-Sun series on ABC and ESPN last year (2.2 million).
Viewership is also up 125% from 2023, signaling that even if some of the biggest names, such as Clark, Angel Reese, and Sophie Cunningham, aren’t playing, the league is capitalizing on the recent boom in interest.
It doesn’t hurt that Clark’s Fever made the playoffs and advanced to the semifinals, which means she’ll be on TV even if she’s in street clothes. It also didn’t hurt that three of the four series went the distance, featured a notable upset (Fever over Dream), and included the dethroning of the defending champions.
ESPN also noted that WNBA Countdown averaged 382,000 viewers in the first round, a 4% uptick from last season.
The second round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is currently underway.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.