The WNBA got everything it could ask for out of its championship series, but the numbers still trailed last year.
The five-game Sparks/Lynx WNBA Finals averaged a 0.3 rating and 487,000 viewers across the ESPN family of networks, flat in ratings but down 3% in viewership from Lynx/Fever last year, which also went five games (0.3, 502K), and down a tick and 23%, respectively, from the three-game Mercury/Sky series in 2014 (0.4, 634K).
The series ranks as the least-watched WNBA Finals since the Lynx swept Atlanta in 2013 (345K).
Thursday’s Game 5 of the series had 528,000 viewers on ESPN2, off 9% from Game 5 last year (583K). The Sparks’ one-point win aired opposite Game 5 of the MLB National League Championship Series, which involved the Dodgers (7.2M) and also faced Thursday Night Football on CBS and NFL Network (14.2M). Last year’s game had much lighter competition, a Division Series Game 5 that had 5.9 million viewers.
The series included the most-watched Game 1 since 1998 and the most-watched Game 4 since 2009. The largest audience was 597,000 for Game 1 and the highest rating was a 0.4 for Games 1 and 2.
| WNBA FINALS RATINGS/VIEWERSHIP Since ESPN acquired exclusive rights |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Net | Series | Rtg. | Vwrs. |
| 2016 | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 |
LA 3 MIN 2 |
0.3 | 487K |
| 2015 | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 |
MIN 3 IND 2 |
0.3 | 502K |
| 2014 | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 |
PHX 3 CHI 0 |
0.4 | 634K |
| 2013 | ESPN, ESPN2 |
MIN 3 ATL 0 |
0.2 | 345K |
| 2012 | ESPN, ESPN2 |
IND 3 MIN 1 |
0.3 | 477K |
| 2011 | ESPN, ESPN2 |
MIN 3 ATL 0 |
0.3 | 515K |
| 2010 | ABC, ESPN2 |
SEA 3 ATL 0 |
0.4 | 495K |
| 2009 | ESPN2 | PHX 3 IND 2 |
0.4 | 551K |
| 2008 | ESPN2 | DET 3 SA 0 |
0.2 | 315K |
| 2007 | ESPN, ESPN2 |
PHX 3 DET 2 |
0.4 | 545K |
| 2006 | ESPN2 | DET 3 SAC 2 |
0.4 | 484K |
| 2005 | ABC, ESPN2 |
SAC 3 CONN 1 |
0.3 | 437K |
| 2004 | ESPN2 | SEA 2 CONN 1 |
0.2 | 345K |
| 2003 | ABC, ESPN |
DET 2 LA 1 |
0.6 | 849K |
(Past and present series avg. from ESPN)
