After viewership hit a seven-year high in Game 2, the 2012 WNBA Finals finished on a lower note on ESPN2 over the weekend.
Game 4 of the Lynx/Fever WNBA Finals drew 433,000 viewers on ESPN2 Sunday night, down 35% from Mercury/Fever in 2009, the most recent Game 4 of the WNBA Finals (670K).
In Indianapolis, home to the champion Fever, the game drew a 5.7 rating — actually down 11% from Mercury/Fever Game 4 in 2009 (6.4).
On Friday night, Game 3 of the series drew 337,000 viewers — down 44% from the clinching Lynx/Dream Game 3 last year (600K), and down 38% from the clinching Storm/Dream Game 3 in 2010 (545K).
Compared to the last non-clinching Game 3, Friday’s viewership declined by 13% from Mercury/Fever in 2009 (389K).
Of the three WNBA Finals games on ESPN2, Sunday’s Game 4 earned the top audience. The top game of the series overall was Game 2 on October 17, which earned 778,000 viewers on ESPN.
Viewership For 2012 WNBA Finals
Compared to past two years
| Year | Series | Gm. 1 | Gm. 2 | Gm. 3 | Gm. 4 | Gm. 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Fever-Lynx |
343K
|
778K
|
337K
|
433K
|
none
|
| 2011 | Lynx-Dream |
491K
|
447K
|
600K
|
none
|
|
| 2010 | Storm-Dream |
450K
|
487K
|
545K
|
none
|
|
10 Most-Viewed WNBA Playoff Games Ever on ESPN or ESPN2
Ranked by households
|
#
|
Date
|
Away
|
Home | Round, Gm. # |
Net
|
Homes (000) |
Viewers (000)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Tue., 9/1/98 | Mercury | Comets | Finals, Gm. 3 | ESPN |
1,038
|
1,371
|
|
2
|
Mon., 8/30/99 | Sparks | Comets | WCF, Gm. 3 | ESPN |
874
|
1,052
|
|
3
|
Thu., 8/28/97 | Liberty | Mercury | Semifinal | ESPN |
722
|
890
|
| 4 | Tue., 9/16/03 | Sparks | Shock | Finals, Gm. 3 | ESPN2 |
691
|
886
|
| 5 | Tue., 8/25/98 | Mercury | Rockers | Semis, Gm. 3 | ESPN |
678
|
895
|
|
6
|
Thu., 8/28/97 | Sting | Comets | Semifinal | ESPN |
672
|
885
|
| 7 | Tue., 8/24/99 | Monarchs | Sparks | Quarterfinal | ESPN |
655
|
858
|
| 8 | Mon., 8/24/98 | Sting | Comets | Semis, Gm. 2 | ESPN |
625
|
741
|
| 9 | Wed., 9/6/06 | Shock | Monarchs | Finals, Gm. 4 | ESPN2 |
624
|
793
|
| 10 | Wed., 10/17/12 | Fever | Lynx | Finals, Gm. 2 | ESPN |
618
|
778
|
(Game 3 and 4 numbers from Son of the Bronx; top ten games from ESPN; local rating from Indianapolis Business Journal)
