By Joiner Martinez
23 Jul 2024, 18:36 PM EDT
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game was held in Phoenix last Saturday, attracting a record number of spectators, surpassing the previous mark set 21 years ago.
In total, 3.44 million people watched the game on ABC, far surpassing the previous record of 1.44 million viewers in 2003.
That game featured a number of former and future Hall of Famers, including Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie and Sue Bird.
Last year’s game, also played in prime time and televised on ABC, drew an audience of 850,000.
Interest in the WNBA and attendance at games have skyrocketed this year, with the addition of a standout rookie class, including Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, being one of the reasons.
“This weekend’s extraordinary viewership underscores the exponential growth of women’s sports and ESPN is proud to showcase this incredible league and its exceptional athletes on such a grand stage,” Julie Sobieski, ESPN’s senior vice president of league programming and acquisitions, said, according to The Athletic.
Sports Media Watch reported that the All-Star Game was the most-watched WNBA event since the league’s opening week in June 1997. Viewership for the first game in league history reached 5.04 million, with 3.59 million people tuning in the following day.
The Athletic said the All-Star Game was the 17th WNBA game this year with an audience of more than 1 million, and Clark appeared in 15 of those games.
A WNBA game had not generated more than 1 million viewers in the past 16 years.
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