WNBA holding its own against NFL, MLB, with finals broadcast during busy sports calendar
The WNBA is competing for viewers during one of the busiest times on the sports calendar and the league is holding its own
The WNBA is competing for TV viewers during one of the busiest times on the sports calendar and the league is holding its own with no plans to turn back the clock.
Through two WNBA Finals games, the series between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty is the most watched in 20 years.
The finals opened on an NFL Sunday and the Aces 99-82 victory over the Liberty was the most-viewed Game 1 since ESPN started broadcasting the series in 1998. Game 2 on Wednesday night — a 104-76 win by Las Vegas — was played with the MLB postseason in full swing.
“I think whatever timeframe you’re operating in, there’s going to be competition. It’s about continuing to try to grow your product,” said ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke, who called WNBA games during its early years. “I don’t think there’s any doubt you can see the evolution of the players and the coaching in the WNBA. And I expect that trajectory to continue.”
The numbers are trending in the WNBA's favor.
Viewership for the two games is up 13% over last year's finals between the Aces and Connecticut Sun. Game 1 on ABC averaged 729,000 viewers and the average was 626,000 for Game 2 on ESPN. The two-game average of 680,000 is a bump the league hopes continues.
This will be the latest finish to a WNBA season in a non-Olympic year. Playing later into the fall is not a new trend for the league. It's the 13th time in the WNBA’s 27-year history a finals series has either started or stretched into October. When the league was launched in 1997 the schedule ended in August — before the deluge of viewing options for sports fans.
An expanded regular season and playoffs
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