NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



 Women's National Basketball Association

2006 WNBA Finals scores double digit increases in attendance, viewership

September 14, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


New York (September 14, 2006) - The 2006 WNBA Finals presented by Vonage capped a playoff run in which the WNBA saw significant increases in attendance and viewership. The Finals, which aired live on ESPN2 from August 30-September 9, saw the Detroit Shock top the Sacramento Monarchs in the first WNBA Finals match up ever to go to a fifth and deciding game.

Average attendance for the 2006 Finals was up +28% compared to a year ago (14,587 vs. 11,419 in 2005) while average attendance for the playoffs overall increased by +16% (9,738 vs. 8,397 in 2005). The historic Game 5 on Saturday, September 9, featured a sellout crowd of 19,671 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI. These increases followed closely on the heels of a strong second half of the regular season in which attendance throughout the league rose nearly 12% after the All-Star break.

Television viewership also increased. Detroit's Game 4 win at Sacramento on Wednesday, September 6, was the second-most watched WNBA game in ESPN2 history (0.68 rating) and average viewership for the 2006 Finals was up +11% over that of 2005 when Sacramento defeated the Connecticut Sun in four games. The decisive Game 3 of the 2003 Finals, in which host Detroit topped the Los Angeles Sparks at the Palace of Auburn Hills, drew the largest WNBA Finals crowd ever (22,076) and the highest viewership for a WNBA telecast on ESPN2.

In addition to the ESPN2 telecast, the 2006 WNBA Finals reached more international viewers than ever as it was broadcast in 198 countries by 60 telecasters in 29 languages allowing the league's global fan base to witness all the action. The games were broadcast internationally by first-time licensees in the Bahamas, China, Italy, Mexico, Serbia and Venezuela.


• Discuss this story on the Women's National Basketball Association message board...

Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 14, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central