The good times keep rolling, and rolling, and rolling for the WNBA.
After hitting the one-million viewer mark for the first time in 21 years in Game 1, and then hitting a 23-year high in Game 2, Game 3 of the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx beat the 23-year record set in Game 2.
Wednesday’s Game 3, which ended on a buzzer-beater from Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, averaged 1.39 million viewers on ESPN, surpassing Sunday’s record-setting Game 2 on ABC which averaged 1.35 million viewers. The game rates as the most-watched WNBA Finals game ever on a cable network, beating out a Phoenix Mercury-Houston Comets rubber match in 1998 that averaged 1.37 million viewers.
In terms of year-over-year comparisons, Game 3 viewership was up 112% from last season’s Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty. That game averaged just 659,000 viewers, though went directly head-to-head against the NFL.
Game 3 slots in as the seventh most-watched WNBA Finals game of all time, but just the 17th most-watched game of the season behind 15 Indiana Fever games featuring Caitlin Clark, and the WNBA All-Star Game (also featuring Clark). That superlative alone shows just how much Clark has impacted the league.
As has been said numerous times throughout this WNBA season, a rising tide lifts all boats. And while Clark is undoubtedly the league’s primary draw at this moment in time, she has shone a light on the many other stars and storylines the league has. It’s unlikely the WNBA would be setting these records without her, but at the very same time, these records are being set without her on the court.
So, is it weird that the most-watched WNBA Finals game in 23 years sits behind 15 regular season games in viewership this season? Yes. But there’s no question, the WNBA’s growth is real, and more people are tuning in for games with and without Caitlin Clark on the court.
[Data via Sports Media Watch]
