The WNBA just wrapped up its 27th season, and it finished on a strong note that could bode well for the league's future.
ESPN announced on Oct. 19 that the WNBA Finals Game 4 averaged 889,000 viewers, on ESPN, up 124% versus last year's viewers of Game 4. That made it the most-watched Game 4 in the history of the league.
The game also peaked at 1.3 million viewers between 10:00 and 10:14 p.m. ET, which was during the fourth quarter of the series-clinching one-point victory of the Las Vegas Aces over the New York Liberty.
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The four-game series averaged 728,000 viewers, which was up 36% versus the 2022 finals between the Aces and Connecticut Sun, making this year the most-watched WNBA Finals series in 20 years.
The WNBA hit their record marks despite competing with Major League Baseball's ALCS Game 3 between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. That game saw 4.6 million average viewers on Fox, according to SportsTVRatings.
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The WNBA has continued to grow in viewership even during the regular season which has parlayed into growth in other aspects. A few days before the WNBA Finals tipped off, the league announced that it would be adding a team in San Francisco under the same ownership group as the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
That team will be the league's 13th team, and marks the league's first attempt at expanding the rosters since 2008 when it added the Atlanta Dream.
Wednesday's #RaiseTheStakes Championship-clinching win over #LightItUpNYL was the #WNBAFinals most-watched Game 4 on record#WNBA on ESPN viewership highlights for the 2023 season ➡️ https://t.co/zdJBc73MgV pic.twitter.com/q4NiLo3lta
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 19, 2023
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