Two of sports’ lesser lights are maintaining significant national exposure.
The WNBA and IRL both released their schedules this week, with both second-tier leagues having a relatively heavy presence on broadcast television. ABC will air seven IRL races and eight WNBA games in 2008, the latter of which is a major increase from previous years.
The seven IRL races on ABC will begin on May 25, with the Indianapolis 500. 2008 marks the 43rd straight year ABC will air the Indy 500, which in 2007 drew its second-lowest rating ever. ABC will also air a race on the following Sunday, before airing races sporadically throughout the summer. In 2007, ABC’s seven races averaged a 1.7 rating — though that average is inflated by the 4.3 for the Indy 500.
In addition to the seven races on ABC, ESPN2 will air seven races, including the season opener from Homestead. Four of the races on ESPN2 will air in primetime. ESPN will air two early season races on April 6 and April 19.
Despite signing a new TV deal that limits exposure on broadcast television to as few as two games, the WNBA finds itself with the most over-the-air exposure it has had since leaving NBC. ABC will air eight WNBA games during the 2008 regular season, by comparison to five games last year. Last season, ABC averaged a 0.6 rating for its five WNBA games, down from a 0.7 average for six games the year before.
In a sports television landscape where networks are airing fewer and fewer games, having the number of WNBA games on broadcast television jump from five to eight — even in the face of tiny and declining ratings — is certainly surprising. Coming off of the best postseason in league history, the WNBA may be positioned for at the very least slight growth. Evidently, ESPN/ABC is banking on that, as a combined 21 WNBA games will air across the ESPN family of networks during the 2008 regular season.
