The WNBA All-Star Game delivered the league’s largest audience since its opening weekend of play.
Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game averaged 3.44 million viewers on ABC, marking the league’s largest audience since the second day of play in June 1997, when Sting-Mercury averaged 3.59 million on NBC. Only that game and the inaugural Liberty-Sparks matchup a day earlier (5.04M) delivered larger audiences.
The previous record for a WNBA All-Star Game was 1.44 million for the 2003 game on ABC, the first to air on broadcast television. Only one other All-Star Game has averaged a seven-figure audience, the 2005 game on ABC (1.25M). Last year’s All-Star Game, which also aired in primetime on ABC, had 850,000.
The WNBA All-Stars’ win, which peaked with 4.05 million viewers from 10:30 PM ET through the conclusion, was the weekend’s top television program in adults 18-49 and 25-54.
This year’s All-Star Game was particularly appetizing due to the Caitlin Clark-led rookie class and the WNBA vs. Team USA format, which has been used in past Olympic years. Given some of the perceived Olympic snubs, including of Clark, the game had more storylines than is typical for an All-Star event.
The WNBA All-Star Game easily outdrew the NHL All-Star Game on ABC earlier this year, which aired in the afternoon (1.40M), and also comfortably topped the NASCAR All-Star Race on FS1 (2.57M). The other three major all-star events ranked higher, with the NBA All-Star Game at 5.40 million, NFL Pro Bowl Games at 5.79 million and last week’s MLB All-Star Game at 7.44 million.
Friday’s WNBA Skills Challenge and Three-Point Contest averaged 695,000 on ESPN, up 142% from last year, when the event took place during the afternoon hours (288K).
