The WNBA’s 28th season is off to a spectacular start. After a first month that made headlines everywhere, the W announced on Monday Approximately 400,000 fans attended games in May, the highest attendance in 26 years. The last time this many fans filled stadiums to watch WNBA games was in 1999 and the league was only entering its third season.
The league’s early season growth doesn’t end there. On ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, WNBA games average 1.32 million viewers, nearly tripling last season’s average of 462,000 viewers. The Fever’s games on May 14 (vs. Connecticut Sun), May 18 (vs. New York Liberty) and May 20 (vs. Sun) set viewership records for their respective networks as the most-watched WNBA games of all times. . The opening night game on May 14 averaged 2.12 million viewers for ESPN2, May 18 averaged 1.71 million viewers on ABC and May 20 averaged 1. 56 million viewers.
“What’s happening now in women’s basketball is confirmation of what we’ve always known: the demand is there and women’s sports are a valuable investment,” WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in the release. press. “We are encouraged by the growing engagement across all of our verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences to our fandom. “The WNBA continues to experience sustained growth as our league embraces this increased momentum.”
Here’s even more data on the WNBA’s growth during its first month of the season:
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Merchandise sales increased 236% during the 2023 season, with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink among the top five in jersey sales during the first week of the season.
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WNBA League Pass subscriptions more than tripled in the first two weeks of the season, with the highest average minutes watched in league history. League Pass subscriptions for the month of May increased by 335% from May 2023.
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WNBA stadiums were filled to an average capacity of 94%, up 17% from last year.
