The WNBA experienced a remarkable 14 percent rise in attendance from the previous year, with New York and Indiana drawing over 17,000 fans each for their home openers. Notably, the New York Liberty set a record by generating more than $2 million in ticket revenue for a single game during their season opener, a first in WNBA history.
Overall, the league saw ten sellouts during the opening week, reflecting a significant surge in fan engagement. Television ratings also reached unprecedented levels. ESPN’s broadcast of the Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun game, featuring Caitlin Clark, garnered the highest viewership ever for a WNBA game on the network, averaging 2.1 million viewers. A Saturday doubleheader on ABC, showcasing the Fever against New York and Los Angeles against Las Vegas, attracted 1.71 million viewers for the first game and 1.34 million for the second.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressed satisfaction with the viewership numbers, especially given the tough competition from NBA and NHL playoff games. She noted the impressive 1.56 million viewers for the Monday night rematch between the Sun and Fever, highlighting its significance given the typically low sports viewership on Monday nights, except for Monday Night Football.
The five games broadcast on ESPN networks this season have averaged 1.43 million viewers, representing a 181 percent increase from the same number of games last season and a 226 percent rise from the overall average of the previous season. ESPN also added the Chicago-Indiana game on June 1, which will mark the first meeting between rookies Reese and Clark.
Digital engagement also saw substantial growth, with league pass purchases up 182 percent and app downloads increasing by 146 percent from last year. Merchandise sales have been bolstered by the popularity of the rookies, with online sales at the WNBA store already surpassing the total sales for all of last season.
