2005 WNBA All-Star Game Reaches Broad Audience, Delivers for Fans
Published on July 13, 2005 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
New York, NY (Wednesday, July 13, 2005) -- The 2005 WNBA All-Star Game delivered high energy action for fans across the country and around the world. The event, which aired live on ABC on Saturday, July 9, was the highest scoring game in WNBA history and culminated with a slam dunk by veteran All-Star Lisa Leslie - only the second in the history of the nine-year-old league.
A capacity crowd of 9,138 filled the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT while more than 12,000 fans and their families attended WNBA Summer Jam, the league's basketball fan festival, to meet their favorite players. In addition to the ABC telecast, the 2005 WNBA All-Star Game reached more international viewers than ever as it was broadcast in 193 countries by 52 telecasters in 31 languages allowing the league's global fan base to witness all the action.
The event also reached 1.3 million viewers nationwide, which more than doubled the total for last year's game on ESPN (526,000 viewers). In addition, the rating (1.0 HH rating) for the game was +43% higher than the current regular season average to date.
In a continuing effort to bring the WNBA experience to a broader audience, the league teamed up with Discovery Health Network and FitTV and on Sunday, July 10, each network simultaneously televised the WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge, one of the highlights of the weekend's festivities. Both networks will air a series of interstitials throughout the year featuring WNBA All-Stars providing health and fitness tips for viewers.
WNBA.com will also feature live video webcasts of WNBA games between now and the end of season. Throughout the course of the 2005 WNBA season fans have free access to 78 WNBA webcasts though WNBA.com's broadband service WNBA Broadband Season Pass. Games can also be seen on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NBA TV, which is carrying 50 games this season.
The WNBA tipped off its ninth season on Saturday, May 21, 2005 under the leadership of new President Donna Orender. In 2004, for the sixth consecutive season, more than two million fans attended WNBA games. Also in 2004, three consecutive WNBA Finals sellout crowds witnessed the Seattle Storm defeat the Connecticut Sun to capture its first WNBA Championship. For more information, visit WNBA.com.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 13, 2005
- Minnesota Lynx Guard Katie Smith Scores 5,000th Point of U.S. Career - Minnesota Lynx
- Romeo to perform at Sting game - Charlotte Sting
- Liberty Wins Third Straight - New York Liberty
- 2005 WNBA All-Star Game Reaches Broad Audience, Delivers for Fans - WNBA
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