The first and second rounds are single-elimination games. NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2022 The WNBA finished the 2022 regular season delivering its most-watched regular season in 14 years. Will the recent increase in viewership and engagement provide the necessary proof of concept needed to propel the WNBA to the next level? 5) followed Sabrina on the list of top five most popular jerseys. That is a 49% increase compared to 2020 and 24% increase to 2019. What percentage of WNBA viewers are female? The drop of new jerseys alone yielded over 69 million impressions on drop day. Measuring the post-season revenue is a bit difficult, but estimating is assisted by presented viewership numbers. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. The showdown between UConn and Baylor in the Elite Eight round was the most-watched NCAA Tournament game in 10 years, excluding Final Four matchups. 3),Aja Wilson(No. The WNBA Draft, held Monday on ESPN, averaged 403,000 viewers, the network announced a 20% increase from last year's draft and the most since 2004. All year, league executives were gratified that ESPN agreed to increase its investment in the league and air a record 37 games across its networks, about three times its typical WNBA slate. It has taken decades to overcome such backward thinking, and the womens games have been playing catch-up ever since. The 2021 NCAA Womens Final Four pulled some of its highest viewership numbers ever. Would you be willing to send a $5 tip to our Venmo tip jar because it helps support our reporting? A multi-year deal with Amazon Prime Video made the WNBA the first womens professional sports league to be streamed on Prime Video, with Amazon receiving exclusive streaming rights to 16 WNBA games each season. Most Super Bowl wins by NFL team 1967-2023, Average ticket price in the NFL by team 2021, FIFA World Ranking: top male soccer teams 2022, Athletic footwear global market share by company 2015, Health & Fitness Clubs - Statistics & Facts, Sporting goods industry in the U.S. - statistics & facts, Research expert covering sports and video gaming, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. ", SportsPro, Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1236723/wnba-regular-season-viewers/ (last visited March 05, 2023), Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s) [Graph], SportsPro, September 21, 2022. And the Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, and Atlanta Dream all were on a decline. Said Lewis: We all know the WNBAs numbers still dont compare, but when youre talking about a period of time when every sport is still having trouble in the ratings and you can say not only that your numbers were up but that they were up double digits, thats a pretty decent story for them.. That year, the minimum regular season attendance was on a Wednesday, with, The Miami Sols best highest attended regular season game was July 17, 2002 against the Sacramento Monarchs, with. Business Solutions including all features. According to Burack, who also cited Nielsen data, TNT's slate of NBA games declined by 19 percent compared to 2019 (from 1.5 million to 1.2 million viewers per game) while ESPN's offerings . In terms of how team attendance was trending prior to the pandemic, the Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings, and Los Angeles Sparks had regular season attendance averages that were trending up over the previous three years (2017, 2018, 2019). Minnesota Lynxs Sylvia Fowles, in the final game of her illustrious career, became the first player in league history to log 4,000 career rebounds and Seattle Storms Sue Bird scored her 1,000. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury mostly held steady. According to the WNBA, this is the most watched season since 2008. WNBA; Wrestling; XFL; More Sports . Womens basketball has steadily increased viewership year-over-year. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionesculed the league in jersey sales. And average league-wide attendance tends to be heaviest in August each year. Statistics; Advanced Stats; Standings; News. August 17, 2022, League Sets Social, Digital and Merchandising Records , In Their Final Seasons, Sylvia Fowles First Player to Record 4,000 Rebounds in a Career; Sue Bird Records 1,000 Three-Pointers Made , The 2022 WNBA Playoffs Presented by Google Tips Off Wednesday, Aug. 17. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Viewership is up 89% from the 2020 MLB playoffs and there is a 3% spike from the playoffs in 2019. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. The WNBAs problem is simple: It doesnt generate the interest or the revenue to support a pay structure anywhere close to what the mens game can offer. Recently, Draymond Green, one of those highly paid male players, poured a little gas on the fire by offering his opinions on the subject (in short, the women shouldnt complain). A hockey podcast that doesn't talk about last night's scores. Visit ESPN to view 2022 WNBA stat leaders. 1 Connecticut Sun and the No. Theres a big gap between PGA Tour and LPGA Tour prize money. Connecticut's Diana Taurasi, left, is presented with a Phoenix Mercury jersey by WNBA President Val [+] Ackerman, right, after the Mercury chose her as the No. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images). For the 2021 season, the WNBA's combined viewership averaged 306,000 viewers. SportsPro. Which was a drop of 16% on the previous year. The NBA's sponsorship revenue is about 100x the WNBA's; the NBA's cable viewership is 88x the WNBA's; and the . Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the Los Angeles Sparks reported just 18,319 attendees in 2021. Washington Nationals vs Houston Astros was the most-watched MLB game of the 2019 season. The 2023 World Baseball Classic, the first since 2017, will get underway on Tuesday, March 7. The NBA is 75 years old, the WNBA 25. Please do not hesitate to contact me. 2023 CNBC LLC. In particular, the deciding Game 3 of the Finals fit perfectly the formula that Lewis has observed tends to serve up the best ratings for the league. Wedneday, March 1st In today's episode we talk about: Discord coming soon! Despite being virtual as opposed to broadcast live from Nike Headquarters in New York City they are the two most-viewed WNBA Drafts in nearly 20 years. You cant ask for anything better than to have a 15 percent increase (for the Finals) when the NBA Finals is down 49 percent, John Lewis of Paulsen Sports Media Watch said last October. According to WNBA statistics, 75 percent of the fans in attendance at a WNBA game are female. Overall, the 2014 playoffs averaged a 0.3 rating and 489,000 viewers on the ESPN networks, up from 0.2 and 272,000 in 2013. The BarDown podcast will investigate, uncover and explore long-form stories at the intersection of sports . The MLB World Series averaged 13.91 million viewers nationally, down 1.3% from last year. Lets first take a look at the last two WNBA Drafts. . Overall, WNBA ratings were down, but the Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm were up 15% from the 2019 five-game series between the Aces and the Washington Mystics the year prior. You need at least a Starter Account to use this feature. NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2021 - The WNBA capped off its historic 25 th regular season by delivering its most-watched season since 2008 for its television partners - ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 - with. Washington out shot Anaheim by a total of 39-23 and went 0-3 on the power play in the game. This year the WNBA celebrated its 25th season and with that came exponential viewership growth across multiple categories on ESPN networks. You're joking. Nobody wants to acknowledge that some sports translate better than others for both men and women, for whatever reason. The league also set new marks for engagements across social media, digital and merchandise, as well as experienced subscription growth for WNBA League Pass. Considering the circumstances, the WNBA will likely come away from its 2020 season content with the way it was able to connect with fans, especially from its Bubble in south Florida. Today's top WNBA players can earn upwards of $500,000, courtesy of last year's landmark collective bargaining agreement, which guaranteed new maternity benefits and better travel conditions. Here is the average WNBA attendance by team for the 2021 regular season: Total WNBA attendance by team in 2021 was led by the Phoenix Mercury with 93,585 fans. Womens tennis is as popular or more popular than the mens game, and womens gymnastics is much more popular than the mens sport. When fans werent tuned in, they engaged with social content in record numbers. Our data would show we have about 30 million fans who interact with WNBA content in any given year. A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox. The late 90s and early 2000s had some of the highest regular season game best attendance averages to date. National Basketball Association all-time triple double leaders 1946-2022, Value of National Basketball Association franchises 2022, National Basketball Association all-time assists leaders 1946-2023. In 2021, there have been 24 telecasts, compared to 37 broadcasts in 2020 and 16 in 2019. The Olympics didnt allow women to run an event longer than 800 meters until the 1972 Games, when the 1,500-meter run was added to the program; meanwhile, the men were also contesting longer distances 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and the marathon. That likely gives the WNBA a roadmap forward and helps create a proof of concept for a league that is engaged politically and socially while remaining popular among sports fans. The NBA's average ticket price is variously reported at between $51 to $89; the WNBA's $17. The Seattle Storm vs. Chicago Sky game on Aug. 15, broadcast . Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. Plus, we discuss some fun attendance facts that might surprise you, and what led to 69 million social media impressions for the league this year. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. The ratings ultimately came around to back this up as well, as the star-laden Finals showed a 15 percent uptick in viewership over 2019 even in a fairly dominant Seattle Storm sweep over Wilsons Las Vegas Aces. IN HISTORIC 25TH SEASON, League Sets Records for Merchandise Sales Online and Social Media Engagement . How about how many people were willing to leave the comfort of their homes and hit the arena? LPGA golfers face the same challenge. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. Other highlights from the season include: The WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google tipped off on Thursday, Sept. 23, with two first-round, single-elimination games on ESPN2. An NBA Draft . Thats where the WNBA finds itself in its search for an identity (and higher pay) on the American sports scene. Later in the season, the league also delivered its most-watched regular-season game since 2012, with ABC averaging 755,000 viewers for a matchup between the Seattle Storm and Chicago Sky on Aug. 15. NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2021 The WNBA capped off its historic 25th regular season by delivering its most-watched season since 2008 for its television partners ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 with viewership up 51% over the 2020 season, and by setting records for merchandise sales online and engagement across its social media platforms. On the surface, it appears that the women have little argument there is no comparison between NBA and WNBA revenues but first lets understand what WNBA players want. ESPN said the 2021 WNBA Finals between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury attracted an average of 548,000 viewers throughout four games. Amidst an unprecedented season in the NBA . For example, according to 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unionized female employees earn 29% more than non-unionized female employees and unionized black employees earn 27% more than non-unionized black employees. Dont just show up for the big moments because WNBA fans and their athletes know this. ), explains: Im tired of people thinking that (we) players are asking for the same type of money as NBA players we are asking for the same percentage of revenue shared within our CBA. Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1236723/wnba-regular-season-viewers/, Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022, Available to download in PNG, PDF, XLS format, Average franchise value in major U.S. sports leagues 2007-2020, Average franchise value of National Basketball Association teams 2001-2022, Total revenue of the National Basketball Association 2001-2022, Teams of the NBA ranked by revenue 2021/22, NBA league & teams sponsorship revenue 2010-2022, Average operating income of National Basketball Association teams 2001-2022, Operating income of National Basketball Association franchises in 2022, NBA Finals TV viewership in the U.S. 2000-2022, NBA Finals TV ratings in the U.S. 2002-2022, Average U.S. TV ratings of NBA Finals 2022, Average viewers of the NBA Finals in the U.S. 2022, Total attendance at National Basketball Association regular season games 2006-2022, NBA regular season home attendance by team 2021/22, Average per game attendance in the NBA from 2005-2022, NBA regular season average home attendance by team 2021/22, Construction costs of NBA stadiums/arenas built since 2000, Federal subsidy to NBA stadiums built since 2002, NBA interest level in the U.S. 2022, by ethnicity, National Basketball Association (NBA) interest levels worldwide 2021, NBA number of Facebook fans/Twitter followers 2012-2022, National Basketball Association salary cap 2012-2023, Minimum player salary per year in NBA 2017-2024, Average player expenses of National Basketball Association teams 2001-2022, Player expenses in the NBA by team in 2022, National Basketball Association highest-paid players in salaries & endorsements 2023, National Basketball Association all-time rebounding leaders 1946-2022, National Basketball Association all-time minutes leaders 1946-2022, Regular season attendance WNBA games 2022, Average U.S. TV ratings of NBA playoffs 2018, Average U.S. TV ratings selected NBA games 2018, NCAA basketball March Madness TV viewership selected games 2013, NCAA basketball March Madness TV viewership selected games 2014, Average NCAA football TV viewership by conference, Average NCAA basketball TV viewership by conference 2011, Super Bowl viewers in the U.S. 2017-2023, by platform, Distribution of NBA television audience during 2012-2013 regular season, by income, Distribution of NBA regular season TV audience 2014, by ethnicity, Age breakdown of NBA TV audience during 2013 regular season, Average TV viewership of selected NCAA football games 2017, Gender breakdown of NBA television audience in 2013 regular season, Women's World Cup viewership in the U.S. 2015, Women's World Cup viewership habits in the U.S. 2019, Number of Adult Swim viewers in the U.S. 2014-2021, Most common online methods of finding TV shows Australia 2017, Average TV viewers of the WNBA regular season from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s), Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports.