ESPN Numbers Confirm WNBA Had A ‘Historic’ Season, But Changes Comings

By Barry Janoff

UPDATED November 20, 2024: The Los Angeles Sparks have hired University of Utah women's basketball coach Lynne Roberts as their head coach.

UPDATED November 8, 2024: The Dallas Wings have signed Curt Miller as evp and GM. Miller comes to the Wings after two years as head coach for the Los Angeles Sparks.

UPDATED November 3: ESPN: Tyler Marsh has agreed to become the new head coach of the Chicago Sky, with the sides coming to terms on a multiyear deal.

Marsh, an assistant coach and head of player development with the Las Vegas Aces, takes over a promising Sky team that includes Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, both first-round draft picks earlier this year.

Chicago fired Teresa Weatherspoon on Sept. 26

UPDATED November 1: The Indiana Fever named Stephanie White as head coach. She spent two seasons as head coach in 2015-16, as an assistant coach (2011-14) and a player (2000-04). White spent the past two seasons as head coach of the Connecticut Sun.

UPDATED October 28, 2024: Stephanie White is out as head coach of the Connecticut Sun, the team said today. Connecticut marks the seventh of 12 WNBA teams to fire its head coach this off-season.

October 27, 2024: With New York City having just cleaned up from the victory parade celebrating the Liberty’s first WNBA championship, media partner ESPN shared numbers that confirmed the league had a historic season in viewership, attendance and social media impact.

ESPN said its presentation of the 2024 WNBA season concluded with “record-breaking viewership. This season’s broadcasts delivered some of the highest ratings in WNBA history, solidifying the league’s continued momentum across ESPN platforms.”

However, there are changes across the league coming for 2025.

The Indiana Fever said today that the “organization has parted ways with head coach Christie Sides.” In two years as head coach, Sides posted a 33-47 (.413) regular-season record, and last season she helped lead the Fever to their first post-season appearance since 2016.

Six WNBA teams to date will have new head coaches in 2025 — Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings  Indian Fever, Los Angeles Sparks and Washington Mystics — as well as the WNBA's 13th franchise, the Golden State Valkyries.

The Fever will enter 2025 with a new head coach and new chief operating officer and GM Amber Cox, and back-to-back WNBA Rookies of the Year Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

Next season will also see teams play 44 games (up from 40) and a best-of-seven Final (up from best-of-five).

For now, the league gets to rest on it laurels.

Across all network partners, 32 WNBA telecasts — including the 2024 WNBA Draft Presented by State Farm and the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game — averaged more than one million viewers each, with 22 on ESPN platforms.

Across 24 games, the 2024 WNBA regular season on ESPN platforms averaged 1.2 million viewers, up 170% vs. 2023.

The 2024 post-season averaged 1.1 million viewers, up 139% over 2023’s post-season, making it the most-viewed WNBA post-season in 25 years.

ESPN said the WNBA Finals Presented by YouTube TV concluded as the most-watched Finals in 25 years, averaging 1.6 million viewers, up 115% over 2023:

Each telecast in the five-game series averaged more than one million viewers.

Games 3, 4, and 5 each became the most-viewed WNBA Finals games ever on cable.

“The Finals mark the culmination of what I think is the most transformational year in the WNBA's history,” commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during a media conference just prior to the WNBA Finals between the Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. “You saw all the statistics we put out: viewership, attendance, merch sales, digital engagement at or near record levels,”

“To put it in perspective with a few stats that bring insight into what has happened, the WNBA has significantly outpaced the industry in average consumption of live games in 2024. Fans watched 30% more minutes on average of each WNBA game in the 2024 regular season.

Overall, the regular season, playoffs and Finals averaged 1.2 million viewers, “the most-watched full season on ESPN platforms ever, and up 155% from 2023.

Viewers ages 18-34 and women viewers were up 164% and 165% year-over-year, respectively.

ESPN was home to the most-watched game of the regular season: Fever and Clark at Chicago Sky and Angel Reese, June 23, averaging 2.3 million viewers.

In its arenas, the league recorded its highest total attendance in 22 years — 2,353,735 — up 48% from last season. The league’s 154 sellouts marked a 242% increase from last season (45).

The WNBA averaged 9,807 people per game, up 48% from last season (6,615).

Engagement with WNBA-focused posts across ESPN’s social media accounts for the regular season, playoffs and Finals was up 413% vs. 2023, with video views increasing by 642%, year-over-year.

WNBA-related content on ESPN.com and the ESPN App saw an increase in total unique visitors of 157% vs. 2023.

Throughout it all, the league never lost sight of its players being front-and-center regarding issues such as race, voting and improving their own position as pro athletes.

“This growth has not come without growing pains,” said Engelbert. “The hateful speech and threats directed at our players are troubling. That type of conduct is not representative of the WNBA's character or fan base.

“As a league, we stand united in condemning racism and all forms of hate. The WNBA is one of the most inclusive and diverse professional sports leagues in the world, and we will continue to champion those values.”

According to the commissioner, “There's no place in sports for this. Just continue to condemn it, continue to be a voice on this.”

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