The highly anticipated WNBA clash between Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky broke television ratings records last Friday night. The game, showcasing the top contenders for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, achieved an unprecedented average of 1.6 million viewers, with a peak of 1.92 million, according to Jason Clinkscales of Sportico. This game marks the highest viewership in the history of the ION network and outpaced every college football game broadcast on various networks that evening.
Caitlin Clark has been a major driver of increased viewership for the WNBA this season. Out of the 21 games that have attracted over one million viewers, Clark and the Fever have featured in 18 of them. Angel Reese has also drawn significant attention, contributing to the record-setting viewership of this late-season matchup.
This season has been particularly strong for WNBA broadcasts on the ION network, with games averaging 639,000 viewers—a remarkable 123% increase from last year’s average of 287,000 viewers.
As the regular season progresses, the Indiana Fever have secured their playoff position, while the Chicago Sky, having lost their last seven games, are still vying for the No. 8 seed. With seven games remaining, Chicago currently holds the eighth spot based on tiebreakers with an 11-22 record, alongside the Atlanta Dream, who also sit at 11-22. The Washington Mystics trail by one game with a 10-23 record.
