How big should ESPN go on Caitlin Clark during WNBA playoffs? Our experts debate

You always want a viewership story to sell if you are a professional sports league and the WNBA has a great metrics story to sell in 2024. Last week ESPN announced that its WNBA regular season was its most-watched ever for games across ESPN Networks airwaves (including ABC). Games averaged 1.2 million viewers, a massive jump over last year’s games (440,000 viewers). These are unheard of percentage increases in sports television.

Something even more impressive? The WNBA had 22 regular-season games that averaged more than 1 million viewers — the first time since 2008 that a WNBA game topped one million viewers. If you want to add in the WNBA All-Star Game and the WNBA Draft, it makes 24 programming events during the 2024 calendar year that topped 1 million viewers (Caitlin Clark was part of all but three of these windows, per Sports Media Watch).

On that note: The WNBA All-Star Game averaged 3.44 million viewers on ABC, crushing the previous audience record set in 2003. The WNBA Draft, featuring Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, averaged a record 2.446 million viewers, which is a 307 percent increase in viewership over last year.

What else? There were seven games on ION this season that topped more than 1 million viewers including last Friday’s game between Indiana and Las Vegas, which averaged 1.2 million viewers. Finally, Sports Media Watch reported that the Sept. 11 game between the Fever and Aces drew the largest WNBA audience ever on NBA TV at 678,000 viewers. The previous high was also set in 2024 with a Fever-Wings game on Labor Day weekend that drew 652,000.

The Athletic often asks ace women’s basketball writers Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman to debate a WNBA issue but we’re going to change it up a touch here by adding a third voice (me) as we embark on the most anticipated postseason in the league’s history, at least based on viewership interest. The postseason starts Sunday with four nationally televised games.

Richard Deitsch: So Ben and Sabreena, some kind of season, eh? I wanted your input on some media-centric storylines as it relates to the WNBA season. Let’s start with Caitlin Clark because she has been a transcendent viewership draw. That doesn’t take away from the brilliance and interest in other players, but Clark has been the game-changer, and the data overwhelmingly shows that. If I am an ESPN/ABC programming executive, I am treating the Fever like the Dallas Cowboys. I am putting them in my highest profile window and hoping at a minimum I get three games out of them against the Sun. I’d do a live pregame and postgame show onsite prior to Game 1. I’d also load up all my social media firepower on that opening round series. That’s not to disregard any other series, but you want to take advantage of what might be a short stay from Indiana. How would you promote the Fever if you are ESPN?

Sabreena Merchant: It doesn’t seem as though the Fever need any additional promotion, considering how they have drawn regardless of network, time slot and lead-in, but giving them all the bells and whistles seems to be the right play. I expect ESPN to send the No. 1 crew of Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo to wherever Indiana starts the postseason, even if that means neglecting the two-time defending champions in Las Vegas, though it helps that the Fever have a reasonable shot of a first-round upset. Speaking of the Cowboys, however, Game 1 of the WNBA postseason is going up against the NFL, which presents an obstacle that Clark hasn’t yet had to face in her pro career. Will the draw of Clark competing in her first playoff game eat into football, or are we due for a ratings letdown?

Ben Pickman: If you’re ESPN/ABC, you’re certainly hoping to avoid that letdown. But even if Indiana’s postseason opener doesn’t match, say, the first Sky-Fever game of the season, it wouldn’t be shocking, based on precedent, for Indiana’s opener to average seven-figure viewership.

Game 1 of last year’s WNBA Finals aired on a Sunday and was the most-viewed Game 1 ever on an ESPN network. Still, it averaged only just over 700,000 viewers. Game 3, which also tipped on a Sunday, averaged 889,000 viewers on ESPN. Fever games have blown those numbers away all season long, so even going up against an NFL slate, they seem likely to pick off viewers.

The league hasn’t announced its full playoff schedule, but Game 2 of the Fever series likely will be Tuesday or Wednesday (a non-NFL night), meaning another record could be set. To your original question, Richard, I think what you mapped out —  a live pregame and postgame show onsite — and lots of social media content seems like reasonable choices.

Deitsch: Indeed, Clark likely has found the one entity that can slow her down as a television draw — the NFL. Another topic: One thing I’ve liked this year has been the increase in national pregame coverage. ESPN’s WNBA Countdown is a prime example of that. The show averaged 503,000 viewers during the regular season, a massive increase over last year. I think the WNBA should really push ESPN to have a daily studio show presence somewhere within the ESPN family of networks during the 2025 WNBA season. If I made you media czar of the league for 2025, what would you try to implement for the major media partners?

Merchant: I couldn’t agree more about an ESPN studio show because there is absolutely an appetite for WNBA conversations that aren’t being had by media personalities who wade into women’s basketball once a month. NBA TV has tried one before, and there have been WNBA segments on NBA Today, but the league needs a dedicated show on a channel that most people have access to. The other main thing I would try to address as media czar is some level of consistency in WNBA programming. The NFL exists on several different platforms, but fans know that Monday is ESPN, Thursday is Amazon, and Sunday night is NBC. The WNBA needs that type of rotation with its bigger partners. Amazon and ION already have their own nights, but it would benefit the league to have CBS Saturdays and ESPN Sundays, for example, so that people know where to turn.

Pickman: In addition to achieving more network consistency, fans often complain about the lack of staggered start times over the course of a day, so that’s something that should be top of mind. Airing more preseason games (even if it’s just streaming them on WNBA League Pass) should also be a priority. There is demand among viewers to see top rookies in action for the first time and avoid having to watch on streamed cellphone footage.

One other new wrinkle will be the addition of the 13th team, the Golden State Valkyries. I’m curious to see how adding just one more team alters things. No longer can the entire league play on one day. On the NBA side, the Golden State Warriors have been a ratings draw in recent years. The Valkyries share ownership and are obviously in the same market. They might lack the star power of other franchises in the WNBA in Year 1, but there is clear interest as last week they surpassed 17,000 season-ticket deposits, becoming the first professional women’s sports team to pass that mark. How much will major partners lean into broadcasting a new franchise?

Deitsch: You make a great point, Ben. I’m curious about the new WNBA franchises, including Golden State, Toronto and Portland. They could end up with a transcendent viewership draw (think Paige Bueckers or JuJu Watkins). Okay, let’s finish up with this. Give me the best viewership WNBA Finals for the sport, and because it’s obvious that the Fever being in the Finals would generate the highest viewership, give me one involving the Fever and give me one without the Fever.

Pickman: Fever-Liberty has to be the finals option that has the highest viewership potential, with Aces-Fever being the second option. If you’re looking for a realistic (meaning without a Phoenix Mercury Diana Taurasi swan song) matchup sans Fever, it’s Liberty–Lynx.

Merchant: The series I would expect to draw the most eyes would have to be in the semifinals unless the standings shake up in a major way, and that’s Aces-Liberty. I’m eager to see how that number compares to the 2023 matchup so we can learn how much of the viewership rise is the Clark effect. As for potential finals matchups, Fever-Aces has to be the biggest draw, right? Clark versus the two-time defending champions, the upstart versus the establishment with Dawn Staley forced to decide between rooting for Aliyah Boston or A’ja Wilson? If the Fever aren’t involved, the Aces still have to be it. The Aces going for a three-peat will be great theater.

(Photo: Ron Hoskins / NBAE via Getty Images)