After the 2021 opening weekend saw a 25% jump in ratings over 2020, WNBA viewership is continuing to soar.
Just two weeks into the regular season, the WNBA is averaging 357,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. That number marks a 74% jump from 2020 and a 45% jump from 2019.
The #WNBA is currently averaging 357,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN & ESPN2 through the first 5 games of the 2021 season🏀 Up 74% vs 2020's season average🏀 Up 45% vs 2019's season average pic.twitter.com/ltVzUUTA8T— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 26, 2021
The #WNBA is currently averaging 357,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN & ESPN2 through the first 5 games of the 2021 season🏀 Up 74% vs 2020's season average🏀 Up 45% vs 2019's season average pic.twitter.com/ltVzUUTA8T
While the fact that WNBA viewership continues to rise isn’t surprising, the fact that they’re doing so by such a large margin is. After all, regular-season viewership for the 2020 season was already up 68% from 2019.
The WNBA’s ratings continue a growing trend in women’s sports, as the NWSL Challenge Cup and NCAA volleyball tournament both saw significant year-over-year ratings bumps.