All Rights Reserved, Pay disparity between NBA, WNBA is a numbers game, Draymond Green, one of those highly paid male players, poured a little gas on the fire, the WNBA has lost an average of $10 million every year it has existed. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. 1 seeded Las Vegas Aces and WNBA All-Stars Aja Wilson and Kelsey Plum on ESPN at 10 p.m. The MLB World Series averaged 13.91 million viewers nationally, down 1.3% from last year. The WNBA averaged 413,000 viewers in that year. Well, either way, its a tough sell for a league that cant turn a profit and survives on handouts from the NBA. And though the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics did not [] And the 2021 WNBA Finals Game 2 was the most watched Game 2 since 2003, peaking with 1 million viewers. The 2021 WNBA regular season averaged 306,000 viewers, up 49 percent compared to 2020 and 24 percent to 2019, ESPN announced Thursday. The 2019 NBA Finals averaged a little more than 20 million viewers per game; the 2019 WNBA Finals averaged about 400,000 viewers per game. You need at least a Starter Account to use this feature. This season represented the first time the Sky were represented in the top team merchandise rankings since 2016 thats the Candace Parker effect! (May 26, 2022). 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. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information That is a 49% increase compared to 2020 and 24% increase to 2019. And the entire Finals series averaged 548,000 viewers, making it also the most watched since 2017. Washington out shot Anaheim by a total of 39-23 and went 0-3 on the power play in the game. WNBA Viewership of 2020 WNBA Finals up 15 percent from 2019 In a time when many of America's major professional sports leagues are struggling to maintain their usual viewership, the 2020. Dont let WNBA stories go untold. Season. Yet that unfortunately was the same night the Clippers lost Game 7 to the underdog Denver Nuggets on ESPN, which earned 5.2 million viewers, a very strong number for the NBA pre-conference finals, Lewis said. . As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. ESPN said the 2021 WNBA Finals between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury attracted an average of 548,000 viewers throughout four games. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. 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. As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. 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. The showdown between UConn and Baylor in the Elite Eight round was themost-watched NCAA Tournament game in 10 years, excluding Final Four matchups, reported Forbes. WNBA DELIVERS MOST-WATCHED REGULAR SEASON SINCE 2008 Figures prior to 2022 come from earlier articles. It wasnt until 1984 that the Olympics created a marathon for women. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? Enjoying SportsPro content? 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. New York Liberty (No. A multi-year deal with Amazon Prime Video made the WNBA the first womens professional sports league to be streamed on Prime Video. 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 increase in WNBA viewership coincides with the most-ever league games on national television. 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. Earlier this month, the Women's College World Series three-game championship series between Oklahoma and Florida State averaged 1.84 million viewers on ESPN up 15% from 2019. Recently, Draymond Green, one of those highly paid male players, poured a little gas on the fire by offering his opinions on the subject (in short, the women shouldnt complain). Learn more about how Statista can support your business. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set AT&T WNBA 2022 All-Star Game became the most viewed All-Star Game in 6 years, averaging 734,000 viewers, up 53 percent over last years event. We want to hear from you. 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). Diana Taurasi is called the Michael Jordan of the WNBA. Ever heard of her? Womens tennis is as popular or more popular than the mens game, and womens gymnastics is much more popular than the mens sport. The ideal entry-level account for individual users. The WNBAs Covid-disrupted 2020 regular season averaged 205,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. More people tuned into the biggest WNBA games this year, even with many more options than usual. "Level of Interest in Wnba in The United States as of May 2022, by Gender. 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. Business Solutions including all features. The WNBA is an American professional women's basketball league established in 1996 and owned by the NBA. "It's so interesting, . Got a confidential news tip? 5) followed. Im not going to rest till I fix that. said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. 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 WNBA is being searched more on Google in the past 5 years than the prior 15, indicating increased awareness. As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail. The 2019 NBA Finals had 27% fewer viewers this year, compared to last year (17.85M to 10.4M). And the 2019 finals featuring the Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics averaged 386,000 viewers and lasted five games. 92-59 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals to win the Championship at Feld Entertainment Center on October 06, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. Complement's plant-based kitchen sweepstakes Weather report: Study shows bovine meat and milk factors linked to colorectal cancer, Farm Rich plant-based mozzarella sticks in Walmart and Kroger, plant-based raw tuna coming to San Francisco restaurants The Beer You Should Order, Based on Your Zodiac Sign (Best Life . 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. Use Ask Statista Research Service. The St. Louis Blues are 27-29-5 this season after they defeated the San Jose Sharks by a score of 6-3 in their last game. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. 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). The St. Louis Blues are averaging 3.05 goals per game, 3.64 goals against per game, 20.7% on the power play, and 76.7% on the penalty kill. An NBA Draft . 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. The WNBA noted its viewership is up 51% when compared to the 2020 regular season. Chart. 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. 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 . WNBA games averaged 321,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and CBS during the regular season, up 51% from last year and the league's most-watched season in 13 years. Well reveal WNBA viewership by year. The regular season takes place in summer from May to August and the play-offs in. The 2014 WNBA finals averaged 659,000 viewers across the ESPN channels, up 91% from the 2013 finals between the Minnesota Lynx and the Atlanta Dream which averaged 345,000. The Sky won their first WNBA championship after beating the Mercury 80-74. The NBA and WNBA have little in common, other than they play the same sport. Womens basketball has steadily increased viewership year-over-year. Amidst an unprecedented season in the NBA . viewership dropped roughly 50 percent . This year the WNBA celebrated its 25th season and with that came exponential viewership growth across multiple categories on ESPN networks. The value of working through athletes as influencers in the WNBA is evident in the data as well. 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. Official Release 4), and the Chicago Sky (No. Liston 7 pts 2 reb 2 ast (gets back up minutes at 2/3 behind the starters and Wright 10-15 min) Hooper 7 pts 3 reb (backs up Powell, Hodges, TJJ, and GloJo at 3 and 4 for 15-20 minutes a night) Marshall 5 pts 3 reb 1 ast 1 stl (gets 10-15 minutes off bench behind Carson and Cappie at the 2 spot) Sims barely edges out Ogwumike for rookie of the . Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury mostly held steady. Strauss adds the league's local viewership, too, has sharply declined. The third and fourth seeds the No. The sixth-seeded Chicago Sky defeated the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings, 81-64, and the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury edged the eighth-seeded New York Liberty, 83-82, to advance to the second round of the playoffs.