The WNBA capped off the season by announcing that WNBA League Pass, the leagues out-of-market regular season live game package that also features highlights and off-the-court content from the 2022 season as well as every archived game since the 2015 season, would now be available through Roku. Early metrics still showed spikes in WNBA viewership, with Game 1 racking up an average of 555,000 viewers for the most-viewed Finals' opener in five years. Will the recent increase in viewership and engagement provide the necessary proof of concept needed to propel the WNBA to the next level? It hasnt helped that womens sports came late to the game. July's All-Star Game averaged 734,000 viewers, a 53% increase.. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionesculed the league in jersey sales. 5 seeded Washington Mystics and the 2022 WNBA leader in assists Natasha Cloud meet the fourth seeded Seattle Storm and the leagues leader in scoring Breanna Stewart on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. Use Ask Statista Research Service, The source phrased the question as, "In general, would you describe yourself as an avid fan, a casual fan or not a fan of each of the following? A multi-year deal with Amazon Prime Video made the WNBA the first womens professional sports league to be streamed on Prime Video. This season represented the first time the Sky were represented in the top team merchandise rankings since 2016 thats the Candace Parker effect! Zoomph data shows the WNBA has a fan base that is nearly two times more female than average, which could mean more purchasing power than more male-centered sports, a strong sign for advertising. The NBA opened the 2020-21 season to a strong start after enjoying the most-watched opening week since 2012, with combined viewership up 67% compared to last year. New York Libertys Sabrina Ionescu became the first WNBA player to eclipse 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a single season. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images), Ackerman, right, after the Mercury chose her as the No. They never got a single NBA/WNBA double-header over the course of this going back to July. The best of the best: the portal for top lists & rankings: Strategy and business building for the data-driven economy: Industry-specific and extensively researched technical data (partially from exclusive partnerships). According to Deadline.com, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics double-overtime game averaged 1.96 million viewers, topping out at an audience size of 2.87 million late in the game. It feels like it's growing at a point, Felicien said. I would imagine a majority of people who watch the WNBA are people who watch the NBA, so its going to be a very difficult thing to build an audience when, even if you like (both leagues) equally, youre stepping on a Game 7 and thats going to take precedence, Lewis added. The showdown between UConn and Baylor in the Elite Eight round was the most-watched NCAA Tournament game in 10 years, excluding Final Four matchups. NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2021 - The WNBA capped off its historic 25 th regular season by delivering its most-watched season since 2008 for its television partners - ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 - with. For instance, there may have been no more exciting moment in the WNBA postseason than Phoenix Mercury guard Shey Peddys buzzer-beater against her former team, the Washington Mystics, in the first-round single-elimination game on Sept. 16. Official Release Well, either way, its a tough sell for a league that cant turn a profit and survives on handouts from the NBA. The WNBA has also made room for males who share their vision. The NBA's average attendance is 17,760, the WNBA's 6,535. Serena Williams and Brittney Griner were each honored at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, when Williams won the Jackie Robinson Sports Award and . Wedneday, March 1st In today's episode we talk about: Discord coming soon! The 2021 WNBA Finals on ESPN networks and ABC - Chicago Sky victory over the Phoenix Mercury - averaged 548,000 viewers across four games, a 23 percent increase from 2020 (447,000 average viewers in three games) and a 42 percent surge from 2019 (386,000 average viewers in five games). I just really hope that this is the beginning and there's no backtracking. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. The 2021 WNBA Finals on ESPN networks and ABC - Chicago Sky victory over the Phoenix Mercury - averaged 548,000 viewers across four games, a 23 percent increase from 2020 (447,000 average viewers . The top two seeds the No. 4), and the Chicago Sky (No. Would you be willing to send a $5 tip to our Venmo tip jar because it helps support our reporting? 5) followed Sabrina on the list of top five most popular jerseys. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. WHAT a @WNBA season State of League . We made the roster requirements . This year the WNBA celebrated its 25th season and with that came exponential viewership growth across multiple categories on ESPN networks. This may not be a world title match like some viewers hoped, but Cody Rhodes seems destined to topple The Tribal Chief. "Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s)." Despite being virtual as opposed to broadcast live from Nike Headquarters in New York City they are the two most-viewed WNBA Drafts in nearly 20 years. According to the WNBA, this is the most watched season since 2008. Most Super Bowl wins by NFL team 1967-2023, Average ticket price in the NFL by team 2021, FIFA World Ranking: top male soccer teams 2022, Athletic footwear global market share by company 2015, Health & Fitness Clubs - Statistics & Facts, Sporting goods industry in the U.S. - statistics & facts, Research expert covering sports and video gaming, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. The 2021 WNBA regular season averaged 306,000 viewers, a 49 percent increase over the 2020 regular season and up 24 percent over 2019. This year, ESPNs 2021 WNBA schedule featured 24 regular season games, as well as the WNBA Playoffs and Finals, the WNBA All-Star Game, and the annual WNBA Draft. Theres a big gap between PGA Tour and LPGA Tour prize money. You're joking. Under the CBA, base salaries increase to $130,000 and the leagues elite players can earn upward of $500,000. Add in the leagues partnership with CBS Sports Network as well as Facebook and Twitter, and nearly every game was televised for a national audience in 2020. ESPN also. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft Saturday, April 17, 2004, in Secaucus, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun). Because of ESPNs commitment to the league and brands increasing desire to get involved with the leagues star players, online engagement with the WNBA continued to grow. All 17. "Level of Interest in Wnba in The United States as of May 2022, by Gender. The introduction of the NWO brought a drastic shift in television viewership, fueling WCW to an unpredictable 83-week smackdown in the battle for ratings supremacy while breathing new life into . Subscribe to get the latest articles first. In, SportsPro. Sky forward Candace Parker finished the game with 16 points and team-high 13 rebounds. Atlanta Dream Team Store; . Learn more about how Statista can support your business. Yet their media rights fees are five-to-15 times the WNBAs. (But) there will be more opportunities for that coming up next season.. This years Finals were also down on 2018, which was also a Seattle sweep, but when you consider what the ratings environment is, you cant ask for anything better, John Lewis of Paulsen Sports Media Watch told me. According to Burack, who also cited Nielsen data, TNT's slate of NBA games declined by 19 percent compared to 2019 (from 1.5 million to 1.2 million viewers per game) while ESPN's offerings . The Washington Capitals are averaging 3.02 goals per game, 2.97 goals against per game, 20.9% on the power play, and 82.4% on the penalty kill. The first and second rounds are single-elimination games. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. The WNBA Playoffs will feature a maximum of 19 games, all available across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App. It then followed up the news by announcing prior to the start of the season that U.S. Bank would become the newest member of the WNBA Changemakers, the leagues collective of purpose-driven companies that harness their power to elevate women in sports and support the leagues mission around advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. The WNBA is riding a wave of momentum former All-Star Adrienne Goodson believes the league hasn't seen since its early days. The WNBA Playoffs will feature a maximum of 27 games, all available across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, the ESPN App and NBA TV. But not womens basketball college or pro (according to the NCAA, the average attendance for college basketball for the 2018-19 season was 1,625 for Division I women and 5,650 for Division I men). Use Ask Statista Research Service. Stats say that 66% of WNBA viewers are actually male. . 2023 Players Check out our Player Season Finder to search through the entire history of WNBA player stats using custom criteria. VIEWERSHIP: Combined viewership for the WNBA across ESPN Networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2) and the CBS Television Network was up 16 percent over the 2021 regular season, averaging 379,000. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images), television ratings were down 16 percent in the regular season, organize political and social movements among fans and viewers. Level of interest in WNBA in the United States as of May 2022, by gender [Graph]. James Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, WNBA Free Agency Special Set for ESPN2 on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The 2022 No. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. Numbers were significantly impacted by the pandemic this year, as many teams only allowed severely limited attendance until after the Olympic break. Game 3 (Oct.15, ESPN2) notched 524,000 viewers and peaked at 591,000, making it the most-viewed non-title-clinching Game 3 since the 2007 WNBA Finals. The third and fourth seeds the No. Four other ABC telecasts this season became most-viewed regular season games since 2012: ESPN has been a WNBA rights-holder since the leagues inception 25 years ago and has a multi-platform rights agreement through 2025. ESPN is making it easy to watch the Draft, Bria Felicien, the creator of The Black Sportswoman, said. The WNBA capped off its historic 25thregular season by delivering its most-watched season since 2008 for its television partners ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 viewershipwas up 51% over the 2020 season. The regular season takes place in summer from May to August and the play-offs in. Washington out shot Anaheim by a total of 39-23 and went 0-3 on the power play in the game. The Orange WNBA Logo Hoodie was the best-selling item on The WNBA Store for the second consecutive season. According to The Athletic, the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game peaked at 768,000 viewers. The WNBA is 50 years behind in building its brand and working out labor issues.