Tipoff for the 2025 WNBA season is just a few weeks away, and excitement is growing among fans and marketers alike. For good reason, 2024 was the WNBA’s most-watched regular season in nearly 25 years, drawing record viewership of 54 million (unique viewers), the most in its history.
With higher attendance figures than it had seen in more than two decades, the league’s success benefited its many media partners with the top seven most-watched WNBA games on ESPN, two on ABC (including a record for the All-Star Game) and the most-watched game on ESPN2. CBS saw an 86% increase from the previous year with 1.1 million average viewers, while Ion saw a 133% increase at 670,000 average viewers.
There is every reason to expect that 2025 will match or surpass these stats when the season kicks off in May. But how did we get here, after what was a pretty unremarkable start? Following initial interest in the league’s inaugural season of 1997, viewership declined, reaching a low point in 2011 before its gradual climb and spectacular success last year.
Exciting new talent
As in previous years, the 2024 season was marked by exceptional performances from standout players who made significant impacts on their teams and the league. It’s no surprise that players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese boosted WNBA viewership, given the massive audiences their college games attracted. Caitlin Clark made an immediate impact in her rookie season, living up to the high expectations set for her. She led the league in scoring, earning Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star selection. Also in her rookie season, Angel Reese contributed to the league’s growth, being named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team and earning a spot as a WNBA All-Star. She also led the league in rebounds, setting a single-season record. While both players (among other stars) dominated on the court, Caitlin Clark was in a tier of her own when it came to her effect on ratings. Clark and her team, the Indiana Fever, played in all the top 10 highest-rated games for the season. Ratings when Clark wasn’t playing were still drawing more viewers than prior years, but when Clark was on the court, she put up numbers that were in line with MLB and NHL regular-season games.
The WNBA’S new national media deal will increase exposure
While women’s sports have seen growth in viewership, the WNBA’s close association with the NBA provides unique advantages. Other women’s sports, like the NWSL, have grown in popularity, but they don’t have the integrated support from a major men’s league. Although the media rights were not formally combined, the NBA’s support and influence helped the WNBA secure significant broadcast deals with major media companies. This collaboration ensured that WNBA games will see increased coverage and visibility, leveraging the NBA’s established relationships and marketing power to benefit the WNBA. The NBA’s new media rights deal, announced in July 2024, is a landmark 11-year agreement with Disney, NBC and Amazon, set to begin with the 2025 NBA season and the 2026 WNBA season. This integrated approach guarantees that WNBA games are accessible to a broader audience, like NBA games. The WNBA is also expected to sell two additional packages of games that could be worth $60 million that will add to the 2026 media deal — and that’s when we can expect another big boost. CBS and Ion, which already have deals with the WNBA through 2026, are the favorites for those additional packages.
The WNBA’s future
The WNBA is entering a new era in terms of popularity and growth. By the time the new media rights kick in, three more teams will be added to the league, and all are in sizable markets (Bay Area, Toronto and Portland). The league will have a presence in most major markets across the U.S. and will have more games televised than ever before. Viewership for the WNBA will only grow in the coming years due to these factors. The 2024 season’s success is a testament to the WNBA’s strategic growth initiatives, the star power of its athletes and the unwavering support of its fans. As the league continues to break records and set new standards, the future of the WNBA looks brighter than ever.
Danny Senor is senior research analyst at Active International, an AMS company.
