The Big Lead

ESPN’s WNBA regular season viewership numbers are historical

ESPN's viewership numbers for the 2025 WNBA regular season show yet more exponential growth for the league.

By Divij Kulkarni

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks on the court during a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks on the court during a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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The WNBA has grown year by year to the point of becoming arguably the most lucrative investment for those looking to buy sports franchises at the moment. Since the arrival of big-name stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the league has reached new heights in terms of fan interest.

Halfway through the campaign, the numbers were already up compared to 2024. Now that the playoffs have begun and the regular season is over, the final numbers have shown improvements across the board. More people watched the W in 2025 than ever before.

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"ESPN said that its networks delivered their most-watched WNBA regular season in history," The Athletic reported. "Over 25 regular-season games, WNBA games on ESPN networks (which includes ABC) averaged 1.3 million viewers.

"That was up 6 percent from last season’s record year, which saw an average of 1.2 million viewers across 24 games. A spokesperson said that it was the most-watched WNBA regular season across ESPN networks among males and females in the ages 2-and-up sample.

"WNBA games on ESPN averaged 721,000 viewers among all males, a 2 percent increase over 2024 (710,147 viewers). Female viewership averaged 543,065 viewers, representing a 13 percent increase over 2024 (478,705 viewers)."

This is excellent news for the league, considering that Caitlin Clark was only able to play in 13 games this season. Angel Reese took part in the most-watched game of the 2025 campaign, with Paige Bueckers, A'ja Wilson, and Napheesa Collier also drawing in fans. It's a good time for the WNBA.

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