Viewership
Saturday and Sunday afternoon games are broadcast on ABC. Tuesday night games are broadcast on ESPN2. On opening day (May 17, 2008), ABC broadcast the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury matchup. The game received a little over 1 million viewers. Average viewership for games broadcast on national television (ABC and ESPN2) was 413,000 (up from 346,000 in 2007).
In 2008, the WNBA finished up in key demographics on ESPN2—Women 18-34 (+71%) and Men 18-34 (+28%) – and on ABC—All Women (+10%) and Women 18-34 (+20%).
Ratings remain poor in comparison to NBA games. WNBA games averaged just 413,000 viewers, compared to 1.46 million viewers for NBA games.
The 2009 regular season on ESPN2 (13 telecasts) concluded with an average of 269,000 viewers, up 8% vs. 2008 season (248,000 viewers). In addition, regular-season games on ESPN2 saw increases in key demographics, including men 18-34 (+9%), men 18-49 (+14%) and men 23-54 (+23%).
The 2011 season on ESPN2 averaged 270,000 viewers per game, the league's highest since 2005. Viewership for the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game on ABC was up 46% from the previous game.
Read more about this topic: WNBA On ESPN