The WNBA’s rise in ratings is not just about Caitlin Clark. Even though the Indiana Fever rookie has driven a transformation in popularity for women’s basketball, there is a rising tide lifting everyone in the WNBA. And that was apparent on Sunday afternoon for a showdown between the Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky.
Both teams have star power of their own with the Aces led by MVP A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum while the Sky tout rookie duo Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Better yet, the Aces won on a Wilson buzzer beater 77-75 after a furious fourth quarter comeback for the Sky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Sq6F5S-pM
And CBS was rewarded with a great viewership number for the thriller.
According to Sports Media Watch, the game was viewed by 1.22 million viewers on Sunday afternoon, making it the most-watched game of the WNBA season that did not involve Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
Clark is clearly in her own stratosphere when it comes to her drawing ability as a ratings power. Her debut with the Fever reached the highest WNBA audience since 2001. Prior to this season, the WNBA hadn’t drawn one million viewers for a game since all the way back in 2008. This year, they have already eclipsed the one million viewer mark an incredible for 20 different games across a variety of networks including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, and ION.
Clark is responsible for all but three of those million-plus audiences, but the fact that a matchup like Fever-Sky can still draw a healthy number for a regular season game is great news for the WNBA, especially if Indiana don’t make a deep playoff run this fall. The more players, teams, and personalities that are able to draw ratings and keep the momentum going forward, the better it is for the league in the short and long term.
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