WNBA Finals Viewership Surges, NHL Season Opens Strong
The recently concluded WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury, which wrapped up yesterday on ESPN, is poised to be the most-watched series in over two decades, while early NHL season numbers show significant gains.
Through Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, viewership across ESPN and ABC reached nearly 1.5 million, all but guaranteeing the highest average viewership for the championship series since 2000. This represents a double-digit percentage increase compared to last year’s Liberty-Aces Finals. Despite the absence of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark from the playoffs, ESPN networks are projecting a postseason viewership increase exceeding 10% compared to 2024. This surge in popularity comes at a crucial time as the WNBA navigates ongoing discussions regarding a new collective bargaining agreement.
Major League Baseball’s Wild Card and Divisional Series rounds have also shown positive trends, with Fox Sports reporting an 11% increase in viewership through Game 4 of the ALDS compared to the same point in 2024. However, ratings outside of Los Angeles and in smaller markets like Seattle-Tacoma and Milwaukee have been more challenging. Data from Toronto remains unavailable, potentially impacting overall North American viewership figures. For more on sports viewership trends, see data from Nielsen.
The NHL season began last week with ESPN seeing a 37% year-over-year increase in viewership for its opening-day tripleheader. The 5 p.m. ET game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers drew 743,000 viewers, a 114% jump from the comparable game last season. The Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers prime-time matchup attracted 1.09 million viewers, up 38%, while the late-night Avalanche-Kings game saw a slight dip, down 2% to 511,000. You can find more information about the NHL season on the official NHL website.
Officials are hopeful that the positive momentum in viewership will facilitate productive negotiations between management and labor in both the WNBA and NHL.
