Former Baylor guard and current New York Liberty draft pick DiDi Richards has a projected sponsorship value of $254 thousand based on her social media impressions calculated by Zoomph. Game 1 (Oct. 10, ABC) was the most-viewed opening game of the WNBA Finals since 2017, registering 456,000 viewers and peaking with 547,000. May 26, 2022. I was beginning to question how the Las Vegas Aces could even afford the roster they currently have: 2022 All-WNBA First-Team and WNBA All-Star MVP Kelsey Plum, 2022 WNBA Champion and Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, 2020/2022 WNBA MVP and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year A'ja Wilson and, oh yeah, now Candace Parker, too. However, the average viewership for the finals increased 15 per cent to 440,000. 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. Figures prior to 2022 come from earlier articles. For many American viewers, the WBC will serve as an introduction to the top talents of other leagues . 4), and the Chicago Sky (No. I just wanted to reiterate that data point. Overall, WNBA ratings were down, but the Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm were up 15% from the 2019 five-game series between the Aces and the Washington Mystics the year prior. Lets first take a look at the last two WNBA Drafts. Monday's Game 2 of the ALCS drew 1.88 million . Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. The WNBAs Covid-disrupted 2020 regular season averaged 205,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. 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. . LPGA golfers face the same challenge. Digging into just the ESPN family of networks, regular season games broadcast or streamed averaged 306,000 viewers per game in 2021. New York Libertys Sabrina Ionescu became the first WNBA player to eclipse 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a single season. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? 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. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. 3),Aja Wilson(No. No, the NBA won't get axed. Every WNBA Player. The four-game Sky-Mercury WNBA Finals averaged 548,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, marking the largest audience for the event since the five-game Lynx-Sparks series in 2017 (559K). The Orange WNBA Logo Hoodie was the best-selling item on The WNBA Store for the second consecutive season. 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. Would you be willing to send a $5 tip to our Venmo tip jar because it helps support our reporting? 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. The NBA's average attendance is 17,760, the WNBA's 6,535. Show publisher information TheSeattle Stormled the league in team merchandise sold. For the 2021 season, the WNBA's combined viewership averaged 306,000 viewers. 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). Connecticut's Diana Taurasi, left, is presented with a Phoenix Mercury jersey by WNBA President Val [+] Ackerman, right, after the Mercury chose her as the No. TV viewership will be essential for Silver's league as it returns to a standard 82-game format. According to ESPN, the audience figure represents a rise of 74 per cent on the average for the entire 2020 season and an increase of 45 per cent compared to the average viewership during the 2019 campaign. Business Solutions including all features. 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. 3), the Phoenix Mercury (No. Enjoying SportsPro content? The BarDown Podcast. Well, either way, its a tough sell for a league that cant turn a profit and survives on handouts from the NBA. 4 Seattle Storm received a bye into the second round. The drop of the new jerseys yielded over 69 million impressions on drop day. [12] NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2022 The WNBA finished the 2022 regular season delivering its most-watched regular season in 14 years. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. The game took place on a weekday on ESPN (rather than ESPN2) and had no football or NBA competition. Season Type Per Mode. ESPN is making it easy to watch the Draft, Bria Felicien, the creator of The Black Sportswoman, said. 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. Moreover, as pundits debate whether a severely depressed sports viewership landscape is that way in part because of increased athlete activism, the WNBA perhaps more than any other league used the platform of its games to organize political and social movements among fans and viewers, and did not suffer. Chart. The Phoenix Mercury selected Diana Taurasi number one overall in 2004. Kena Krutsinger | National Basketball Association | Getty Images, What it takes to become an Olympic gold medalist. Digital: A record was set for the traffic the WNBA site saw online. We've been waiting for this kind of recognition for so many years. US broadcaster ESPN has revealed that viewership of the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been up significantly during the early weeks of the 2021 regular season. WNBA basketball. SportsPro. The NBA and WNBA have little in common, other than they play the same sport. The first round will be the best-of-three, while the semifinals and Finals will be best-of-five series. 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. That game averaged 755,000 viewers on ABC. In comparison, last October's three-game WNBA Finals series featuring the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces averaged 440,000 viewers. More people tuned into the biggest WNBA games this year, even with many more options than usual. That would have been a perfect thing for them to have. The result was the second-best viewership of the entire season, with 579,000 fans tuning in. Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. The 2021 WNBA regular season averaged 306,000 viewers, up 49 percent compared to 2020 and 24 percent to 2019, ESPN announced Thursday. The Women's National Basketball Association concluded its 25th anniversary season with another positive sign for viewership for its championship series. In, SportsPro. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. The four-round WNBA postseason features the eight teams with the best regular-season records. Regardless, the inevitable "Steenerico" reunion to take down The Bloodline . We want to hear from you. All stats are from the 2018-2019 NBA season and the 2019 WNBA season. You need at least a Starter Account to use this feature. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Accessed March 05, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1108312/women-national-basketball-association-interest-gender/, Morning Consult. The highest average was the Phoenix Mercury with 5,849 and the lowest was the Los Angeles Sparks with 1,144. system, which features three uniform editions for each of the 12 teams, WNBA merchandise on The WNBA Store saw record growth this season with a 50% increase over last year. (September 21, 2022). viewership dropped roughly 50 percent . I cover the Phoenix Suns as well as the broader NBA and WNBA, PALMETTO, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 02: Breanna Stewart, #30 of the Seattle Storm drives to the basket against A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces during the first half of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Feld Entertainment Center on October 02, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida. The WNBA reached several milestones in its landmark season. "Average Tv Viewers of The Wnba Regular Season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s). 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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. As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. And that's across the league's four television-network partners ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, TNT and the highest average since the NBA's 2013-14 season. There have been ups and downs along the way, including a worldwide pandemic the league is still navigating this season. This statistic is not included in your account. The NBA is 75 years old, the WNBA 25. The final game for that series averaged 570,000 viewers. Draft coverage peaked at about 463,000 viewers. As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail. As for the WNBA post-season, it was the most viewed since 2014. 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? This season included 11 windows on broadcast television (ABC + CBS), the league's most in a season since at least two decades (NBC carried 10 in 2001 and 2002). 2022 WNBA All-Stars Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, Candace Parker, A . The league started the 25th season by introducing its new official game ball by Wilson Sporting Goods through a new multiyear global partnership. It wasnt until 1984 that the Olympics created a marathon for women. According to The Athletic, the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game peaked at 768,000 viewers. During opening weekend in 2021, WNBA viewership soared 25% versus the prior year. 2023 Players Check out our Player Season Finder to search through the entire history of WNBA player stats using custom criteria. The WNBA Playoffs will feature a maximum of 27 games, all available across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, the ESPN App and NBA TV. Theres a big gap between PGA Tour and LPGA Tour prize money. You only have access to basic statistics. Need Photos? A paid subscription is required for full access. G Games Played. How do you get that bias out of that valuation model? 2),Diana Taurasi(No. Visit ESPN to view 2022 WNBA stat leaders. The WNBA has also made room for males who share their vision. Dont just show up for the big moments because WNBA fans and their athletes know this. Season. Felicien, who formally covered the Atlanta Dream for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has been encouraged by the increase in WNBA engagement heading into this season. 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. Few basketball fans were tuned in to see Peddys shot. There was just more interest because everything has been more available, starting with the college games. And the Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, and Atlanta Dream all were on a decline. The league reported 387,000 average viewers last year, up 123 percent from 2019. In 2021, viewership numbers dropped 12% to 331,000 average viewers but still yielded the second-largest viewership since the 2004 Draft (601,000 views). If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. Teams averaged more made three-point field goals (7.7) than in any prior season propelling teams to average 82.3 points per game, the third-highest figure in league history.