With Caitlin Clark out, you might think the buzz would vanish. After all, that’s the kind of impact she has made. During the 2024 season, 22 WNBA games topped one million viewers, a feat not seen since 2008. And Clark played in all but three of these games. Her coach, Stephanie White, called the interest in Clark “Taylor Swift 2.0.” With that, the 23-year-old has raised the level of the entire league, as the WNBA as a whole has experienced increased interest. However, her injuries and absence cast a shadow over this season, raising questions about whether the league will sustain growth or descend back into its previous era.
And we already saw a slight preview of it at the 2025 All-Star Game. The 2025 WNBA All-Star game averaged 2.2 million viewers on ABC, down significantly from last year’s record 3.44 million viewers on the network. Even when the mid-season viewership numbers were released, a significant gap remained. Yet, the latest records tell a different story: the league’s growth this season is joyous, shattering benchmarks and affirming the WNBA’s explosive momentum.
The league is pulling in an average of 794,000 viewers through its first 56 games on national networks, according to Nielsen data shared with Front Office Sports. That’s a 21% jump over last year’s full-season viewership average. The Indiana Fever are fueling this surge, with their matchups attracting an incredible 1.26 million viewers through 19 games, a 7% climb from the franchise’s historic, Clark-powered rookie campaign just a season ago. Rebecca Lobo, a popular national analyst, had a simple reaction to this news.
“Great news for the @WNBA,” Lobo wrote on X while quoting the original report from Front Office Sports. Lobo is someone who has seen the OG players build this league from the ground up. She was one of the three players to first sign with the Women’s National Basketball Association when it was founded in 1997.
Great news for the @WNBA . https://t.co/FisvoA2Xtl
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) July 31, 2025
The journey from then to now, where the league is having sustained growth, has been an up-and-down one, and Lobo remains a vital part of the broadcasting world and a part of this rise. However, half of the season remains, but the way the winds are blowing, it will do just fine in its ratings even if Clark’s absence is a lengthy one. Of course, the results might be better if the point guard plays the majority of the games. However, the league is moving towards a more diversified viewership as non-Fever games have experienced a higher spike as well.
Non-Fever games fuel broad WNBA growth amid league diversification
The WNBA wanted to capitalize on the Caitlin Clark hype. And as a result, the Fever are featured on national television in 41 of their 44 regular-season games, the most for a single team in WNBA history. That is one of the reasons why Fever’s average viewership crosses a million. 5 Fever games will air on ABC, five on ESPN, eight on ION, six on Prime Video, three on the CBS Network, four on CBS Sports Network, and 10 on NBA TV.
Non-Fever WNBA games are surging, too, averaging 549,000 viewers this season. That’s less than half the Fever’s massive 1.26 million average, but the underlying story is explosive: a 37% leap from last year, dwarfing the Fever’s own 7% gain. While Indiana’s numbers reflect a much bigger base, this sharp growth for the rest of the league signals a genuine breakout beyond one superstar.
The non-Fever calculation is based on 37 games this year, compared to 66 games for all of last season. Driving much of this new national spotlight: the Aces and Liberty, boasting 33 and 32 nationally televised games, respectively, and helping forge a wider WNBA renaissance. While the Aces have struggled comparatively this season, A’ja Wilson remains arguably the best player in the league, grabbing eyeballs.
There is a lot of ground to cover, but this growth signals a move to a community that stretches beyond just the Indiana Fever. While the league enjoys Caitlin Clark’s popularity, that approach is not sustainable in the long term. While Clark is pulling in the casual and first-time viewers, many are falling in love with teams and players other than Clark. Paige Bueckers is another star with emerging popularity, along with Angel Reese.
The loyal Fever following continues to drive record-breaking numbers, but recent trends show the WNBA steadily broadening its appeal beyond one team. As non-Fever games see significant viewership growth, and new stars and rivalries emerge, the league is laying the groundwork for sustainable, league-wide attention.
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