Ratings Jump for Game One of WNBA Finals

From Sports Media Watch:

The Mercury's 120-116 overtime win over the Fever drew 555,000 viewers on ESPN2 Tuesday night, up 59% from Shock/Silver Stars Game 1 last year (348,000 viewers). Game 1 ranks as the most-viewed WNBA game on cable since '07 (Shock/Mercury Game 4, 669,000 viewers).

Game 1 drew a 2.9 rating in Indianapolis, the highest rating ever for a WNBA game on ESPN in the market. To put that in perspective, Pacers games averaged a 1.5 rating on FSN during the 2008-09 season. In Phoenix, the game drew a 1.8 rating.


Holy Moley? The Fever are more popular than the Pacers? (Sample size: N=1) Who would have thought that?

Then again, at the end of the article, MLS and the NHL have much more viewers for their finals than the WNBA does - even though the WNBA either matches or exceeds those leagues in the regular season. Apparently, there are more casual viewers for MLS and the NHL who will only turn their attention to those leagues during the finals, as if they were waking up out of a torpor. I think the WNBA would kill to have that last-minute finals rush.

The NBA also delivers the demographic breakdown:


• Males 18-49: +15 percent
• Males 25-54: +21 percent
• Females 18-34: +123 percent
• Females 18-49: +176 percent
• Females 25-54: +47 percent