The WNBA is drawing more television viewers in 2026 than it did a year ago, and by a significant margin.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the league is up 12 percent in total viewership across all of its rights partners compared to the same point last season. The numbers cover the first half of the year through the All-Star break.
NBC has been the biggest contributor to the increase. The network has aired only four games so far, but those broadcasts have averaged 1.5 million viewers. CBS and ABC/ESPN have also averaged well over one million viewers per game. USA Network, ION, and Prime Video have each averaged around 500,000 viewers per broadcast.
The WNBA entered a new television contract this season, and the early returns on that deal look strong. A similar pattern played out in the NBA last season, where NBC's return to broadcasting men's basketball helped push viewership to levels not seen in years.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever drove much of the growth. Every one of the top seven individual broadcasts this season has involved the Fever. The single most-watched game was a July 12 matchup between Indiana and the Las Vegas Aces on NBC, which drew 2.6 million viewers. The highest-rated game not involving Clark and the Fever was a June 28 contest between the Aces and the Chicago Sky on CBS, which brought in 1.5 million viewers.
The All-Star weekend itself came with distractions. Off-court, social media was dominated by discussion about Clark, and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert faced renewed public pressure to step down. Those storylines ran alongside the games throughout the weekend.
On the court, the Fever hold first place in the Eastern Conference heading into the second half of the season. The league's ratings could climb further if Indiana makes a deep playoff run.
