Statista. In addition, the league teamed up with Dapper Labs, the company behind NBA Top Shot and the Flow blockchain, to launch WNBA Moments on Top Shot, giving fans the ability to own dynamic in-game moments from WNBA players and legends. We made the roster requirements . Every WNBA Player. . The Sky won their first WNBA championship after beating the Mercury 80-74. I cover women's sports and the intersection of sports & society. 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. Just two weeks later and five games in, WNBA ratings climbed even higher to 74% year over year growth. 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. Twenty-five years ago, the National Basketball Association Board of Directors approved the Womens National Basketball Association. We've been waiting for this kind of recognition for so many years. I just really hope that this is the beginning and there's no backtracking. More people tuned into the biggest WNBA games this year, even with many more options than usual. Atlanta Dream Team Store; . 1 overall pick Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream became the first rookie to win a Conference Player of the Week honor since Tamika Catchings in 2002. The NBA has 30 teams, the WNBA 12. ", Morning Consult, Level of interest in WNBA in the United States as of May 2022, by gender Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1108312/women-national-basketball-association-interest-gender/ (last visited March 05, 2023), Level of interest in WNBA in the United States as of May 2022, by gender [Graph], Morning Consult, May 26, 2022. That parts crazy to me. 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. Statista. #WNBA viewership continues to rise 2021 #WNBAFinals | Most-viewed Finals since 2017 with 548,000 average viewers 2),Diana Taurasi(No. 5) followed. 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. 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. The first and second rounds are single-elimination games. However, the shrinking interest is more than a concern. Which was a drop of 16% on the previous year. Sky guard Kahleah Copper won the 2021 Finals MVP after averaging 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the series. Super Bowl averages 113 million viewers, 3rd-most watched in history The Kansas City Chiefs' 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl LVII is on pace to become the third most-watched [] 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. During 2021 opening weekend, Sky-Mystics WNBA regular season game averaged a 0.39 rating and 611,000 viewers on ABC, and a rematch of that Storm-Aces final later that day averaged a 0.39 and 598,000 on ABC both securing a place in the top three records of the leagues largest regular season audience in nine years, at that time. The WNBA capped off its historic 25thregular season by delivering its most-watched season since 2008 for its television partners ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 viewershipwas up 51% over the 2020 season. Saturdays inaugural fixture on the streaming service saw the Atlanta Dream secure a thrilling 90-87 win over the New York Liberty in overtime. Business Solutions including all features. Thats where the WNBA finds itself in its search for an identity (and higher pay) on the American sports scene. We want to hear from you. 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). Viewership increased 23% from last year's three-game sweep (Storm-Aces: 444K) and up 43% from the five-game Mystics-Sun series in 2019 (381K). The Pac-12 and SEC commissioners will be bringing NIL issues to lawmakers, High school girls golf: 3A region recaps, Richfield, Morgan, Union and Judge Memorial claim region titles, High school boys soccer: 3A/2A second round recap from Wednesdays games, It reportedly wont be long until the Mountain West Conference eliminates divisions, Change may be on the way for the transfer portal and college football recruiting. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. The WNBA averaged 413,000 viewers in that year. 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. All year, league executives were gratified that ESPN agreed to increase its investment in the league and air a record 37 games across its networks, about three times its typical WNBA slate. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. The drop of the new jerseys yielded over 69 million impressions on drop day. 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. 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). Profit from the additional features of your individual account. Statistics; Advanced Stats; Standings; News. For the first time in league history, the WNBA used in-game wearables by KINEXON and optical tracking technology by Hawk-Eye to generate 3D immersive highlights, which were used in real time during Prime Videos broadcast of the inaugural WNBA Commissioners Cup Championship Game. The network said Game 3 was the most-watched, with an average of 524,000 viewers. Enjoying SportsPro content? To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set As part of the agreement, the league established a new platform, WNBA Changemakers, to attract corporate investment in the league. In addition, DICKS Sporting Goods became the largest national retailer for WNBA merchandise. We kept the scoring simple: 0.5 PPR, all touchdowns with six points, all turnovers worth minus-2 points, everything else typical of a decimal-point Fantasy league. Additionally, the WNBA saw an increase in the opening weekend and postseason viewership last season while it alongside the NBA return to play, the NWSL Challenge Cup, and the NHL return to play. It has taken decades to overcome such backward thinking, and the womens games have been playing catch-up ever since. [Online]. This represented the league's. "Level of Interest in Wnba in The United States as of May 2022, by Gender. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. September 21, 2022. WNBA fans are between 2 to 6.6 times more likely than an average sports fan to be interested in politics and especially womens rights, said Niky Scott, a customer success manager at Zoomph. St. Louis was out shot by a total of 25-23 and went 2-3 on the power play in the win. Subscribe to get the latest articles first. An NBA Draft . Women's basketball has notched yet another viewership milestone this time at the pro level. WNBA Stats and History Statistics, scores, and history for the Women's National Basketball Association. The WNBA fails to generate even one percent of the NBA's $8-$9 billion in revenue. Figures prior to 2022 come from earlier articles. ESPN added 13 games to their 2020 broadcast slate after their opening weekend broadcast was up. The showdown between UConn and Baylor in the Elite Eight round was the most-watched NCAA Tournament game in 10 years, excluding Final Four matchups. WNBA players want what NBA players spent decades trying to obtain. ET. IN HISTORIC 25TH SEASON, League Sets Records for Merchandise Sales Online and Social Media Engagement . Register in seconds and access exclusive features. 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). The strong showing in 2021 made it the most-viewed postseason since 2014. Draft coverage peaked at about 463,000 viewers. You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. The NBA watched the NFL capture an eleven-year deal worth more than $100 billion deal last summer. This year the WNBA celebrated its 25th season and with that came exponential viewership growth across multiple categories on ESPN networks. This may not be a world title match like some viewers hoped, but Cody Rhodes seems destined to topple The Tribal Chief. The league reported 387,000 average viewers last year, up 123 percent from 2019. Early signs indicate the WNBA Draft Class of 2021 might have an excellent chance to parlay solid NCAA ratings not only into WNBA viewers but also lucrative sponsorships. TheSeattle Stormled the league in team merchandise sold. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury mostly held steady. Serena Williams and Brittney Griner were each honored at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, when Williams won the Jackie Robinson Sports Award and . to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. Candace Parker #3 of the Chicago Sky celebrates with her teammates after winning Game Four of the 2021 WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury on October 17, 2021 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. These decreases are what sitcoms experience before cancellation. Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. The NBA's average ticket price is variously reported at between $51 to $89; the WNBA's $17. Today's top WNBA players can earn upwards of $500,000, courtesy of last year's landmark collective bargaining agreement, which guaranteed new maternity benefits and better travel conditions. 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. Create your account and get enhanced access to all the latest stories. The WNBA also welcomed Google as its newest WNBA Changemaker, joining AT&T, Deloitte and Nike. The WNBA is being searched more on Google in the past 5 years than the prior 15, indicating increased awareness. The league started the 25th season by introducing its new official game ball by Wilson Sporting Goods through a new multiyear global partnership. According to Deadline.com, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics double-overtime game averaged 1.96 million viewers, topping out at an audience size of 2.87 million late in the game. 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. 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. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information MPG Minutes Per Game . Kelsey Plum, a star player in the WNBA (ever heard of her? 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. New York Libertys Sabrina Ionescu became the first WNBA player to eclipse 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a single season. 1 June 2021 Sam Carp News SHARE THIS ARTICLE. 5) followed Sabrina on the list of top five most popular jerseys. How do you get that bias out of that valuation model? Each of Wilson, Stewart and Bird generated more than $600,000 in social value this season, in large part because they were some of the most active athletes on the platform when it came to sharing content from other brands and personalities. . Are you interested in testing our business solutions? The NBA and WNBA have little in common, other than they play the same sport. Who is new Runnin Ute Keba Keita and how is Utahs 2022-23 roster shaping up? WNBA viewership during the 2021 regular season was up 49 percent year over year. According to The Athletic, the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game peaked at 768,000 viewers. For the 2021 season, the WNBA's combined viewership averaged 306,000 viewers. ET, followed by the eighth seeded Phoenix Mercury and the teams leading rebounder Brianna Turner taking on the No. Digital: A record was set for the traffic the WNBA site saw online. (May 26, 2022). The league also reached several milestones including new sponsors, merchandise, distribution, and technology. ), explains: Im tired of people thinking that (we) players are asking for the same type of money as NBA players we are asking for the same percentage of revenue shared within our CBA. Further proof of concept was evident in the recent WNBA and Nike launch of three new uniforms for each of the 12 teams in the league. Theres a big gap between PGA Tour and LPGA Tour prize money. Use Ask Statista Research Service. 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). 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 . Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. At a time when sports continue to shed live viewers, the WNBAs numbers this year shows they still have not hit their ceiling. This statistic is not included in your account. 4 Seattle Storm received a bye into the second round. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Please do not hesitate to contact me. WHAT a @WNBA season State of League . So today, well take break down the leagues growth. 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. Wedneday, March 1st In today's episode we talk about: Discord coming soon! The third and fourth seeds the No. Well reveal WNBA viewership by year. 2 Las Vegas Aces earned a double bye into the WNBA Semifinals (third round). The top two seeds the No. PALMETTO, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 06: The Seattle Storm celebrates after defeating the Las Vegas Aces [+] 92-59 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals to win the Championship at Feld Entertainment Center on October 06, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida. Los Angeles is the driving force behind MLB ratings this October, so the Dodgers advancing would. Discover WNBA viewership by year According to Statista, the average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season in 2016 was 224,000 and grew to 246,000 in 2019. News Archive; Media Central; Game Notes; 2022-23 Dream Overseas Updates; 2023 Schedule Release; Team Store. The 2021 NCAA Womens Final Four pulled some of its highest viewership numbers ever. Said Lewis: We all know the WNBAs numbers still dont compare, but when youre talking about a period of time when every sport is still having trouble in the ratings and you can say not only that your numbers were up but that they were up double digits, thats a pretty decent story for them.. WNBA Draft 2022 presented by State Farm averaged 403,000 viewers on ESPN, up 20 percent over last year, making it the most watched WNBA Draft since 2004. Dont just show up for the big moments because WNBA fans and their athletes know this. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images), Ackerman, right, after the Mercury chose her as the No. The share the percentage of households with. At the same time, the leagues digital footprint tells a slightly different story. That is a 49% increase compared to 2020 and 24% increase to 2019. It feels like it's growing at a point, Felicien said. 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? 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. And though the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics did not [] 2), the Las Vegas Aces (No. 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). Furthermore, the 2021 NCAA Womens Final Four pulled some of itshighest viewership numbersever. All Rights Reserved. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft Saturday, April 17, 2004, in Secaucus, N.J. 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In addition, DICKS Sporting Goods became the largest national retailer for WNBA merchandise, and Buzzer began featuring live content and WNBA League Pass games on its mobile platform in the companys first foray into womens professional sports. (But) there will be more opportunities for that coming up next season.. The rest, as they say, is history. In terms of how team attendance was trending prior to the pandemic, the Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings, and Los Angeles Sparks had regular season attendance averages that were trending up over the previous three years (2017, 2018, 2019). Bill Laimbeer, a four-time NBA All-Star, was known as one of the Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys" when they won NBA championships in 1989 . The leagues fixtures were averaging 357,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 after the first five games of the current campaign, which is the WNBAs 25th season. The BarDown Podcast. ESPN said on Thursday that the WNBA Finals averaged about 548,000 viewers per game, up 23% from last season and up 42% from 2019. Terrell Buckley, a 14-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion, knows a thing or two about work ethic and during an XFL game on Sunday, he blasted his team for their performance. The NBAs annual revenues are $7.92 billion, the WNBAs $60 million which would not even cover the combined salaries of NBA players Kevin Love and Damian Lillard. The champion Chicago Sky sold out both of their home games during the Finals and ticket . 5 seeded Washington Mystics and the 2022 WNBA leader in assists Natasha Cloud meet the fourth seeded Seattle Storm and the leagues leader in scoring Breanna Stewart on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. 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. No, the NBA won't get axed. ET, before the No. 3), the Phoenix Mercury (No. It might not be fair, but it is reality. The Orange WNBA Logo Hoodie was the best-selling item on The WNBA Store for the second consecutive season. It was the first WNBA game post All-Star Game and Olympic break airing in the afternoon on ABC. 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. 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Show publisher information You need at least a Starter Account to use this feature. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. The result was the second-best viewership of the entire season, with 579,000 fans tuning in. They never got a single NBA/WNBA double-header over the course of this going back to July. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. 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. Plum notes the difference in narratives between the two leagues. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images). Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) shoots between Minnesota Lynx forwards Damiris Dantas (12) and Napheesa Collier (24) during an WNBA playoff basketball game on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Bradenton, Fla. WNBA players have contended for some time that their pay is unfair, that they deserve something closer to what their male counterparts in the NBA are paid. Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. 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. The WNBA also welcomed Google as its newest WNBA Changemaker, joining AT&T, Deloitte and Nike and the tech company sponsored 25 games on ESPN as part of the partnership. Accessed March 05, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1236723/wnba-regular-season-viewers/, SportsPro. The NBA's sponsorship revenue is about 100x the WNBA's; the NBA's cable viewership is 88x the WNBA's; and the . Take the Orange Hoodie campaign in which the league partnered with ESPN and athletes across sport to push its signature orange logo hoodie, sold by Fanatics, as well as general excitement in the lead-up to its opening weekend in late July. The Chicago Sky emerged victorious,winning 87-85 in overtime at their home court. By this date in 2019, 15 college football games averaged at least a 3.0 ratings. As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. Show publisher information And Game 2 of that series averaged 1.2 million viewers on ABC. VIEWERSHIP: Combined viewership for the WNBA across ESPN Networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2) and the CBS Television Network was up 16 percent over the 2021 regular season, averaging 379,000. The Washington Capitals are averaging 3.02 goals per game, 2.97 goals against per game, 20.9% on the power play, and 82.4% on the penalty kill. Meanwhile, across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok,the WNBA set records for social media engagement with 135 million video views and 14.5 million actions. A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox. July's All-Star Game averaged 734,000 viewers, a 53% increase.. NBA games average 2 million TV viewers per game;WNBA games averaged 246,000 viewers during the 2019 regular season, according to Sports Media Watch (well ignore the 2020 season impacted by the pandemic). That would have been a perfect thing for them to have. The increase in WNBA viewership coincides with the most-ever league games on national television. The WNBA reached several milestones in its landmark season. 4), and the Chicago Sky (No. ESPN said the WNBA league attracted 417,000 total viewers for Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury. Also, the viewership on ESPN and ESPN2 increased 11% from 202,000 views last season to 224,000. Minnesota Lynxs Sylvia Fowles, in the final game of her illustrious career, became the first player in league history to log 4,000 career rebounds and Seattle Storms Sue Bird scored her 1,000. 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. The highest average was the Phoenix Mercury with 5,849 and the lowest was the Los Angeles Sparks with 1,144. 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. "It's so interesting, . 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. This years Finals were also down on 2018, which was also a Seattle sweep, but when you consider what the ratings environment is, you cant ask for anything better, John Lewis of Paulsen Sports Media Watch told me. It hasnt helped that womens sports came late to the game. The 2019 NBA Finals had 27% fewer viewers this year, compared to last year (17.85M to 10.4M). They did that during the NBC days. 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. Viewership across its national television partners ABC, CBS, ESPN, and ESPN2 was up 16 percent over the 2021 season. Other highlights from the season include: The WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google tipped off on Thursday, Sept. 23, with two first-round, single-elimination games on ESPN2. Womens tennis is as popular or more popular than the mens game, and womens gymnastics is much more popular than the mens sport. The WNBA's Covid-disrupted 2020 regular season averaged 205,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The WNBA reported a 51% increase in viewership over the regular season in 2020. 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).