This has been a breakout year for women's basketball. The women's college basketball tournament drew unprecedented crowds and media attention in March 2024. Some questioned whether the momentum would carry over to the WNBA season. It's clear from TVision's data that viewers are tuning in and paying attention to the WNBA this year. Here we take a look at just how well the WNBA engaged television viewers through the season break for the Olympics.
Caitlin Clark Drove Fan Engagement, as Indiana Fever Games Outpaced the WNBA Average for Viewer Attention In the First Half of the Season
TVision analyzed viewer attention across 70 WNBA games which aired across multiple TV networks between May 14, 2024 and July 21, 2024. The Attention to Visible Index, which measures how well viewers pay attention while in the room, for all WNBA games in the time-period was 101. However, Indiana Fever games, which starred Caitlin Clark, notched a 107 on the index. This means that Indiana Fever Games delivered approximately 6% more attention for advertisers than typical WNBA games. The average performing television program scores a 100 on the Index.
But it was not only Caitlin Clark delivering attention. WNBA games on NBATV, ION and ESPN (regardless of which teams were playing) captured attention especially well.
WNBA Programming on ION Delivered Higher Ad Attention than Linear Benchmarks
On ION, WNBA programming is breaking through to capture attention for advertisers. TVision's Ad Attention metric measures the proportion of viewers who pay attention to at least 2 seconds of an ad. The average linear Ad Attention is 55%, but WNBA games on ION delivered 62% Ad Attention, in the time period.
Studies show that every 1% of attention correlates to a 1% increase in brand recall, suggesting WNBA games on ION are a significant opportunity for advertisers to reach engaged viewers.
“More viewers are tuning in, and more importantly, those viewers are paying attention,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “We have always thought, from the beginning of our relationship with the WNBA, that our broadcasts on ION, including our studio shows, are great opportunities for advertisers to reach growing and highly engaged audiences.”