wnba viewership statistics

3), the Phoenix Mercury (No. 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. You cant ask for anything better than to have a 15 percent increase (for the Finals) when the NBA Finals is down 49 percent, John Lewis of Paulsen Sports Media Watch said last October. As a media company, I would align with the WNBAs fan culture on social, Scott said. Furthermore, as part of the WNBA raising capital, they had outside advisors come with an analysis showing that their viewership is on par with the NHL, NASCAR, and MLS. viewership dropped roughly 50 percent . ET, followed by the eighth seeded Phoenix Mercury and the teams leading rebounder Brianna Turner taking on the No. WNBA games haven't averaged 8,000 fans per game since 2009, and the 2017 figure was down 28.9 percent from the league's all-time high attendance in 1998, which was the WNBA's second season. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionesculed the league in jersey sales. WNBA Moments on Top Shot gave fans the ability to own dynamic in-game moments from WNBA players and legends. It wasnt until 1984 that the Olympics created a marathon for women. The NBA's average attendance is 17,760, the WNBA's 6,535. What percentage of WNBA viewers are female? The four-round WNBA postseason features the eight teams with the best regular-season records. The league started the 25th season by introducing its new official game ball by Wilson Sporting Goods through a new multiyear global partnership. And the 2021 WNBA Finals winners, the Chicago Sky, sold more merchandise on Fanatics since their WNBA title win over just two days than any other prior WNBA champ has sold in the first 30 days following a title victory. And Game 2 of that series averaged 1.2 million viewers on ABC. Terrell Buckley, a 14-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion, knows a thing or two about work ethic and during an XFL game on Sunday, he blasted his team for their performance. As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. ET. All 17. The WNBA's Covid-disrupted 2020 regular season averaged 205,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Overview and forecasts on trending topics, Industry and market insights and forecasts, Key figures and rankings about companies and products, Consumer and brand insights and preferences in various industries, Detailed information about political and social topics, All key figures about countries and regions, Market forecast and expert KPIs for 600+ segments in 150+ countries, Insights on consumer attitudes and behavior worldwide, Business information on 60m+ public and private companies, Detailed information for 35,000+ online stores and marketplaces. The WNBA noted its viewership is up 51% when compared to the 2020 regular season. The ratings ultimately came around to back this up as well, as the star-laden Finals showed a 15 percent uptick in viewership over 2019 even in a fairly dominant Seattle Storm sweep over Wilsons Las Vegas Aces. TheSeattle Stormled the league in team merchandise sold. Please do not hesitate to contact me. The Olympics didnt allow women to run an event longer than 800 meters until the 1972 Games, when the 1,500-meter run was added to the program; meanwhile, the men were also contesting longer distances 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and the marathon. The league headed into the 26th season by announcing its $75 million capital raise to fuel investment in the long-term transformation of the league. Atlanta Dream Team Store; . 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. In particular, the three stars of this years WNBA Finals Aja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird represented a clear top three in terms of social value, which Zoomph estimates based on the digital engagements and impressions these athletes generate relative to the approximate advertising costs on social media platforms. She listed a few more stats that she said she loved, including a record 83.1 points per game and a 30% increase in cross-platform action for social media posts. As for the WNBA post-season, it was the most viewed since 2014. Four players logged seven triple-doubles in the regular season. The showdown recorded 789,000 viewers, peaking at a million for the primetime presentation. NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2021 The WNBA capped off its historic 25th regular season by delivering its most-watched season since 2008 for its television partners ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 with viewership up 51% over the 2020 season, and by setting records for merchandise sales online and engagement across its social media platforms. Well reveal WNBA viewership by year. 2 seeded Chicago Sky and the reigning Finals MVP Kahleah Copper begin their defense of the WNBA title at home against the seventh seeded New York Liberty and All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Howard on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the Los Angeles Sparks reported just 18,319 attendees in 2021. 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. Game 2 was the most watched Game 2 since 2003, peaking with 1 million viewers. The WNBA reported a 51% increase in viewership over the regular season in 2020. Her Oregon teammates Satou Sabally (second overall to Dallas Wings) and Ruthy Hebard (eighth overall to Chicago Sky) also went in the first round. The 2019 NBA Finals had 27% fewer viewers this year, compared to last year (17.85M to 10.4M). IN HISTORIC 25TH SEASON, League Sets Records for Merchandise Sales Online and Social Media Engagement . It seems preposterous now, but only 50 years ago womens high school sports largely did not exist. That game averaged 755,000 viewers on ABC. You're joking. ", Morning Consult, Level of interest in WNBA in the United States as of May 2022, by gender Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1108312/women-national-basketball-association-interest-gender/ (last visited March 05, 2023), Level of interest in WNBA in the United States as of May 2022, by gender [Graph], Morning Consult, May 26, 2022. So while television ratings were down 16 percent in the regular season, the league was pleased to simply be on more screens and in more minds during a blitz of sports in the late summer. The latest figures continue a positive start to the season for the WNBA, which saw record ratings in Canada during its opening weekend, including a 325 per cent increase in average viewership. Lets first take a look at the last two WNBA Drafts. Digging into just the ESPN family of networks, regular season games broadcast or streamed averaged 306,000 viewers per game in 2021. You may opt-out by. MPG Minutes Per Game . 4 Seattle Storm received a bye into the second round. The NBA's sponsorship revenue is about 100x the WNBA's; the NBA's cable viewership is 88x the WNBA's; and the . How about how many people were willing to leave the comfort of their homes and hit the arena? The NBAs annual revenues are $7.92 billion, the WNBAs $60 million which would not even cover the combined salaries of NBA players Kevin Love and Damian Lillard. The WNBA Playoffs will feature a maximum of 19 games, all available across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App. You need at least a Starter Account to use this feature. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images). You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft Saturday, April 17, 2004, in Secaucus, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun). Shouldnt the league be able to stand on its own before it offers such rewards? You cant ask for anything better than to have a 15 percent increase (for the Finals) when the NBA Finals is down 49 percent.. The BarDown podcast will investigate, uncover and explore long-form stories at the intersection of sports . As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. The championship game (Oct. 17, ESPN) registered 417,000 viewers and peaked with 623,000 viewers, up 32 percent from 2019s Game 4 between the Connecticut Sun and the Washington Mystics. Yet their media rights fees are five-to-15 times the WNBAs. That means they have an opportunity to keep growing, and are popular online where those fans who do not tune in live. to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. It has taken decades to overcome such backward thinking, and the womens games have been playing catch-up ever since. In particular, the deciding Game 3 of the Finals fit perfectly the formula that Lewis has observed tends to serve up the best ratings for the league. . The athletes are your vehicles to their fans, if you can get the league and their athletes to retweet, reshare, comment or like your content, their fans will follow suit.. The Nielson-measured average total viewers for national telecasts of NBA games was up 8% from the 2016-17 season at 1.28 million. Viewership increased 23% from last year's three-game sweep (Storm-Aces: 444K) and up 43% from the five-game Mystics-Sun series in 2019 (381K). September 21, 2022. 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. Theres a big gap between PGA Tour and LPGA Tour prize money. WNBA DELIVERS MOST-WATCHED REGULAR SEASON SINCE 2008 "It's so interesting, . Here's the "Sunday Night Football" viewership so far this season: Week 1: Bears-Rams, 17.64 million Week 2: Chiefs-Ravens, 19.81 million Week 3: Packers-49ers, 19.69 million Week 4:. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury mostly held steady. 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). The WNBAs Covid-disrupted 2020 regular season averaged 205,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, a drop of 16 per cent on the previous year. The Christmas Day lineup netted a 10% increase in viewership, with the Dallas Mavericks and Lakers contest averaging 7.01 million viewers. Currently, you are using a shared account. Through 17 games (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2), the 2021 WNBA Playoffs averaged 367,000 viewers, 63 percent higher than the entire 2020 postseason (226,000 average viewers) and 42 percent higher than 2019 (258,000 average viewers). 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. In, SportsPro. It was the most watched Finals series since 2017. 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