As one could reasonably expect, Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game, in which Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark did not play due to injury, saw significant audience decay versus last year’s game.
According to a report by Ryan Glasspiegel in Front Office Sports, Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game averaged 2.19 million viewers on ABC, down 36% versus last summer’s game which featured Clark taking on the U.S. Olympic team after her controversial snub from the Paris games. Clark and the other WNBA All-Stars not selected for Olympic competition upset the U.S. team and scared up 3.44 million viewers in the process.
WNBA All-Star Game
2.19 million viewers on ABC
Down 36% from last year (3.44M) when Caitlin Clark and teammates played the Olympic team @FOS
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) July 22, 2025
A drop off in ABC’s audience was to be expected with Clark sitting this one out. However, this year’s All-Star Game was still the second most-watched in history. Prior to last season’s event, the WNBA All-Star Game had not averaged over one million viewers since 2005, when 1.25 million tuned in.
On the bright side, the WNBA saw a massive viewership increase for its 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge on Friday. The league nearly doubled its viewership compared to last year, averaging 1.32 million viewers for the telecast on ESPN.
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.