How Big Should ESPN Be with Caitlin Clark During the WNBA Playoffs? Our Experts Debate
You always want a ratings story to sell when you’re a professional sports league, and the WNBA has a great statistic story to sell in 2024. Last week, ESPN announced that the WNBA’s regular season was the most-watched season ever for games on ESPN Networks airwaves (including ABC). Games averaged 1.2 million viewers, a huge jump from last year’s games (440,000 viewers). These are unheard-of percentage increases in sports television.
Even more impressive? The WNBA had 22 regular-season games that averaged more than 1 million viewers — the first time a WNBA game has drawn more than a million viewers since 2008. Add in the WNBA All-Star Game and the WNBA Draft, and that brings the total to 24 programming events in the 2024 calendar year that have drawn more than 1 million viewers (Caitlin Clark was part of all but three windowsaccording to Sports Media Watch).
On that note, the WNBA All-Star Game averaged 3.44 million viewers on ABC, breaking the previous ratings record set in 2003. The WNBA Draft, starring Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, averaged a record 2.446 million viewers, up 307 percent from last year.
What else? There have been seven games on ION this season that have topped 1 million viewers, including last Friday’s game between Indiana and Las Vegas, which averaged 1.2 million viewers. Finally, Sports Media Watch reported that the Sept. 11 game between the Fever and Aces drew the largest WNBA audience ever on NBA TV with 678,000 viewers. The previous record was also set in 2024, when a Fever-Wings game over Labor Day weekend drew 652,000 viewers.
Just insane ratings for this league. The new deal also means better programming windows for the WNBA on ABC. photo.twitter.com/l44E9mGzqm
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) September 11, 2024
The Athletics often asks top female basketball journalists Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman to discuss a WNBA issue, but we’re going to do things a little differently here by adding a third voice (me) as we head into the most anticipated postseason in league history, at least based on viewer interest. The post season starts on Sunday with four nationally broadcast matches.
Richard Deitsch: So Ben and Sabreena, kind of a season, huh? I wanted to get your input on a few media-centric storylines regarding the WNBA season. Let’s start with Caitlin Clark, because she’s been a transcendent viewership. That’s not to take away from the brilliance and interest in the other players, but Clark has been a game-changer, and the data overwhelmingly shows that. If I were an ESPN/ABC programmer, I’d treat the Fever like the Dallas Cowboys. I’d put them in my most attention-grabbing window and hope to squeeze out at least three games against the Sun. I’d do a live pregame and postgame show on location leading up to Game 1. I’d also use all my social media firepower for that opening round. That’s not to disparage other series, but you want to capitalize on what may be a short stay for Indiana. How would you promote the Fever if you were ESPN?
Sabreena Trader: It doesn’t seem like the Fever need any more promotion, given how they’ve been drawn regardless of network, time slot, and lead-in, but giving them all the bells and whistles seems like the right move. I’d expect ESPN to send Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo’s No. 1-ranked crew to wherever Indiana opens the postseason, even if it means ignoring the two-time reigning champions in Las Vegas, though it helps that the Fever have a decent shot at pulling off an upset in the first round. Speaking of the Cowboys, though, Game 1 of the WNBA postseason goes against the NFL, presenting an obstacle Clark has yet to overcome in her professional career. Will the draw of Clark playing in her first playoff game come at the expense of football, or will we be in for a ratings setback?
Ben Pickman: If you’re ESPN/ABC, you certainly hope to avoid that disappointment. But even if Indiana’s postseason opener doesn’t match up with, say, the first Sky Fever game of the season, it wouldn’t be shocking, based on precedent, if Indiana’s opener averaged a seven-figure viewership.
Game 1 of last year’s WNBA Finals aired on a Sunday and was the most-watched Game 1 ever on an ESPN network. Still, it averaged just over 700,000 viewers. Game 3, also aired on a Sunday, averaged 889,000 viewers on ESPN. Fever games have surpassed those numbers all season, so even against an NFL schedule, they seem likely to pick up viewers.
The league has yet to release the full playoff schedule, but Game 2 of the Fever series will likely be Tuesday or Wednesday (a non-NFL night), meaning another record could be set. To your original question, Richard, I think what you have mapped out — a live, on-site pregame and postgame show — and lots of social media content seem like reasonable choices.
German: Clark has probably found the one entity that can slow her down as a television audience: the NFL. On a related note, one thing I’ve enjoyed this year is the increase in national pregame coverage. ESPN’s WNBA Countdown is a great example of that. The show averaged 503,000 viewers during the regular season, a huge increase from last year. I think the WNBA should really push ESPN to have a daily studio show somewhere within the ESPN family of networks during the 2025 WNBA season. If I were to make you the league’s media czar for 2025, what would you try to implement for your major media partners?
17,000 🤯
The first in women’s sports history, and we couldn’t have done it without you. We can’t wait to kick off the season and create an incredible home-field advantage at Chase Center. Let’s keep making history together! photo.twitter.com/YXgUMZfF2Q
— Golden State Valkyries (@wnbagoldenstate) September 13, 2024
Trader: I can only agree with an ESPN studio show because there is an absolute need for WNBA conversations that aren’t being conducted by media personalities who cover women’s basketball once a month. NBA TV has tried one before, and there have been WNBA segments on NBA Today, but the league needs a dedicated show on a channel that most people have access to. The other major issue I would try to address as media czar is some level of consistency in WNBA programming. The NFL exists on multiple platforms, but fans know that Mondays are ESPN, Thursdays are Amazon, and Sunday nights are NBC. The WNBA needs that kind of rotation with its larger affiliates. Amazon and ION already have their own nights, but it would benefit the league to have, say, CBS on Saturdays and ESPN on Sundays so people know where to go.
Pickman: In addition to achieving more network consistency, fans often complain about the lack of staggered start times throughout the day, so that’s something that should be top of mind. Airing more preseason games (even if it’s just streaming on WNBA League Pass) should also be a priority. There’s a demand among viewers to see top rookies in action for the first time and avoid having to watch them on streamed mobile phone footage.
Another new twist will be the addition of a 13th team, the Golden State Valkyries. I’m curious to see how adding just one more team changes things. The entire league can no longer play on the same day. On the NBA side of things, the Golden State Warriors have been a ratings draw for the past few years. The Valkyries share ownership and are clearly in the same market. They may lack the star power of other WNBA franchises in Year 1, but there’s clearly interest, as they surpassed 17,000 season ticket deposits last week, becoming the first women’s professional sports team to do so. How much will major affiliates commit to broadcasting a new franchise?
German: You make a good point, Ben. I’m curious about the new WNBA franchises, including Golden State, Toronto, and Portland. They could end up with a transcendent ratings draw (think Paige Bueckers or JuJu Watkins). Okay, let’s end with this. Give me the best ratings WNBA Finals in the sport, and since it’s clear that the Fever would generate the highest ratings in the Finals, give me one with the Fever and give me one without the Fever.
Pickman: Fever-Liberty has to be the final option with the highest ratings potential, with Aces-Fever as a close second. If you’re looking for a realistic (meaning no Phoenix Mercury Diana Taurasi swan song) non-Fever matchup, it’s Liberty-Lynx.
Trader: The series I expect to draw the most attention is going to be the semifinals, unless the standings change in a major way, and that’s Aces-Liberty. I’m curious to see how that number compares to the 2023 matchup so we can learn how much of the viewership increase is the Clark effect. As for potential finals matchups, Fever-Aces has to be the bigger draw, right? Clark versus the two-time reigning champions, the newcomer versus the established order with Dawn Staley choosing between Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson? If the Fever aren’t involved, the Aces should still be in the mix. The Aces going for a three-peat would be great theater.
(Photo: Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
