The WNBA Finals is surging in the ratings.
Viewership for the series between the Phoenix Mercury and Detroit Shock is up 52% from last year, to approximately 576,000 viewers. Game 1 of the series drew approximately 526,000 viewers to ESPN2, while Game 2 drew 555,000 viewers to ESPN. Game 3 of the series saw the most total viewers, as 646,000 tuned into ESPN2 for an 89-83 Detroit victory.
To put the 576,000 viewers in perspective, 673,000 viewers tuned into Games 1 and 2 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals on Versus. The 646,000 viewers for Game 3 surpassed the 576,000 viewers who tuned into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Additionally, the total viewers for Game 3 is short by just 12,000 viewers of the highest rated David Beckham MLS telecast on ESPN2 this year, a match against Chivas USA that drew 658,000 viewers on August 23.
The highest rated WNBA Finals game in ESPN2 history is Game 3 of the 2003 Finals between the Shock and Sparks. That game drew a 0.8 cable rating with 886,000 viewers. The second highest rated game is Game 4 of last year’s WNBA Finals between the Shock and Monarchs; that game drew a 0.7 cable rating with 793,000 viewers. The highest rated WNBA Finals game ever was Game 3 of the 1999 series between the Liberty and Comets; that game drew a 2.3 rating on NBC.
During the regular season, the WNBA averaged a 0.2 rating on ESPN2, even with the regular season ratings the NHL has posted on OLN/Versus in the past two years. In the playoffs, including Games 1 and 3 of the Finals, average total viewers for the WNBA is up 22% on ESPN2, to 392,000.
Link to Multichannel News article found via Fang’s Bites.
