WNBA Playoffs Draw Document ABC Viewers as Finals Face Rankings Check With out Caitlin Clark

The WNBA’s postseason opened with the most important playoff viewers the league has ever drawn on ABC, however the league will chase Finals viewership data with out its largest tv draw after Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever had been eradicated within the first spherical.

The Fever’s first-round Game 1 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Sept. 27 averaged 2.11 million viewers on ABC, Sports Media Watch reported, probably the most for a WNBA playoff recreation on the community and the third-largest WNBA viewers on any community since 2000. Game 2, streamed solely on Prime Video, drew 1.42 million, in line with Front Office Sports.

The postseason adopted an everyday season that averaged 731,000 viewers throughout all networks, up 11% from 660,000 final yr and the league’s highest common since 2000, per Sports Media Watch. Front Office Sports reported that ESPN’s video games not involving the Fever averaged 984,000, a 24% enhance.

Las Vegas eradicated Indiana with a 94-83 win in Game 3 on Oct. 1 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Front Office Sports reported {that a} Fever recreation was the most-watched regular-season broadcast for every of the league’s TV companions this season, led by 3.2 million for Fever-Sky on NBC and Peacock on Aug. 23, and wrote that the league now faces a rankings check with out the group.

The outlet additionally reported that Finals data stay inside attain. It mentioned the 2024 Finals averaged 1.54 million viewers, probably the most within the fashionable period, and that the most-watched WNBA Finals recreation continues to be the one-game 1997 championship, at 2.8 million. Sports Media Watch reported that the deciding Game 5 of the 2024 Finals drew 2.15 million.

The best-of-seven Finals open Saturday, Oct. 17. NBC will air Games 1 and 4, USA Network will carry the remaining, and all seven video games will stream on Peacock, Front Office Sports reported. According to the outlet, NBC averaged 1.75 million viewers for its seven regular-season WNBA video games, probably the most of any companion, in its first season carrying the league in additional than 20 years.

The best-of-five semifinals opened Sunday. The second-seeded Golden State Valkyries beat the defending champion Aces 71-60 earlier than a sellout crowd of 18,064 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream beat the eighth-seeded New York Liberty 92-82 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Attendance in Atlanta drew consideration. The Dream’s semifinal opener drew 9,745, and its first-round opener towards Washington on Sept. 27 drew 9,766, with the group opening solely the sector’s decrease bowl and a part of the higher part, Front Office Sports reported. A group spokesperson advised the outlet the quick window to promote playoff tickets drove the choice. The Dream bought out the roughly 17,000-seat area for 5 regular-season video games, and tickets for Wednesday’s Game 2 are additionally restricted to the decrease part, in line with Front Office Sports.

League-wide, the common season drew a file 3.79 million followers throughout 330 video games, up 20.5%, and a file common of 11,474 per recreation, Front Office Sports reported, citing Across the Timeline.