ESPN's Monumental 2025 WNBA Season Sets New Viewership Records
Published on October 16, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
ESPN networks delivered the most-watched WNBA Regular Season and Postseason (Playoffs and Finals) ever across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel.
Across 25 regular season games, WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.3M viewers, up 6% year-over-year, which marked the most-watched WNBA regular season on its networks.
Across 24 postseason games, the 2025 WNBA postseason averaged 1.2 million viewers, up 5% year-over-year and marking the most-watched WNBA Postseason on ESPN networks to date. Across all networks, the 2025 WNBA Postseason was the most-viewed since 1999 (1.3 million viewers).
2025 WNBA Finals Presented By YouTube TV Was Second Most-Watched Ever on ESPN Networks
The 2025 WNBA Finals Presented by YouTube TV on ABC and ESPN averaged 1.5 million viewers across four games, ranking as the second most-watched WNBA Finals ever on ESPN networks, behind only '24. The series opened with a historic performance, as Game 1 between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.9 million viewers, marking the most-watched WNBA Finals Game 1 in 28 years.
Most-Watched Full Season Ever Across ESPN Networks
After 49 total telecasts, the 2025 WNBA Full Season across ESPN networks averaged 1.2 million viewers, up 5% year-over-year, marking the most-viewed full season ever on ESPN networks.
Studio Shows Generate Significant Growth This Postseason
ESPN's WNBA Countdown Presented by Google averaged 437,000 viewers, up 30% year-over-year, across 13 episodes.
ESPN's Hoop Streams presented by Google and The Wrap-Up presented by AT&T saw significant postseason growth on YouTube, combining for 900,000 total views (+60% YoY) and 135,000 total watch hours (+110% YoY) across eight episodes from September 12 to October 12. Video-on-demand content also surged, adding 2 million views, a 28% increase year-over-year.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from October 16, 2025
- AT&T WNBA All-Star Returning to Chicago in 2026 - Chicago Sky
- AT&T WNBA All-Star Returning to Chicago in 2026 - WNBA
- ESPN's Monumental 2025 WNBA Season Sets New Viewership Records - WNBA
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