Caitlin Clark and WNBA are Growing Together
The Caitlin Clark Effect is real and it's spectacular. Be we already knew that. However, when diving a little deeper into the numbers there is another story to tell beyond the explosive popularity that Clark has brought to the WNBA. The ratings growth of the league as a whole.
This just in: Friday’s #IndianaFever-Atlanta Dream game was “the most-watched ION game ever” with nearly 1.2 million viewers, per the #WNBA
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 25, 2024
The Caitlin Clark effect continues. pic.twitter.com/ZJenI7Xx7J
Games featuring the Indiana Fever star continue to set viewership records, with the contest against the Atlanta Dream being the most watched ever on ION and the recent meeting between the Fever and Chicago Sky passing the huge numbers the previous meeting had.
ESPN announces Fever-Sky on Sunday was the most-viewed WNBA game across all networks in the past 23 years, averaging 2.3 million viewers.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 25, 2024
It peaked with 3.3 million viewers. pic.twitter.com/keMw695iHN
Those figures are obviously impressive and speak to just how popular CC is with basketball fans. But another piece of data tells an interesting tale too, the performance of WNBA games not featuring Caitlin Clark.
WNBA viewership season-to-date, all networks:
— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) June 25, 2024
Caitlin Clark games - 1.184 mill
All other games - 428k
All games this time last year - 301k
As Mike Mulvihill of Fox analytics points out, Clark games are averaging well over a million viewers, almost quadrupling the average from a season ago. However, the non Clark contests, while not nearly matching those involving the Fever, have still made a huge jump.
The other games are averaging 428,000 viewers compared to 301,000 from last year. That is an increase of 40%, which is the type of statistic any media rights holder would be proud to brag about it. Meaning the incremental growth the league had been seeing is becoming even more significant, explosive when Caitlin's team is playing.
It appears that W tide is indeed rising and all participants involved are being lifted up, as Caitlin Clark and the WNBA are growing together.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!