The first half of the WNBA season has been marked by soaring viewership, increased media attention, and an electrifying rookie class, featuring standouts Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. This period has been the most successful since the league’s inception in 1997.
Negotiations for a “historic” WNBA media deal, which reports suggest could be around $200 million annually, up from the current $60 million, underscore the league’s rising popularity and the growing interest in women’s professional sports, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said on Saturday.
As the WNBA enters a month-long Olympic break following the All-Star Game, players, league executives, and media partners are hopeful that this momentum will continue into the second half of the season.
“This weekend is the culmination of a historic first half of the season,” Engelbert told reporters. “We have seen our highest attendance in 26 years and repeatedly set viewership records. Many of our teams have seen triple-digit increases in attendance.”
Television audiences have also reached new heights, with 16 games averaging over 1 million viewers, breaking the full-season record just halfway through the current season. Fan voting for All-Star game players surged by over 600% from last year, and merchandise sales have hit historic highs.
The interest can be attributed to one of the most stellar WNBA rookie classes in recent memory, led by sharpshooter and passer Caitlin Clark and scoring and rebounding phenomenon Angel Reese. Their intense college rivalry has carried over to the professional league, further boosting fan engagement.
Clark and Reese will be teammates for the first time ever in Saturday’s All-Star Game, facing a Team USA squad featuring WNBA MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and others. The influx of young talent challenging experienced veterans has led to hyper-competitive games, attracting new fans.
“The play on the floor has been exactly what we had hoped for, with great matchups,” said former WNBA star and current broadcast analyst Rebecca Lobo. “We’ve seen the ratings play out in a big way, not only when Caitlin Clark is playing but when other teams are playing as well.”
“The anticipation of this current season was similar to when the league started, and that has translated into ticket sales and people tuning into television,” Lobo added.
