I'm thoroughly hooked and will never spend another summer sleeping through baseball games waiting for October to come. compare the nba and wnba’s annual revenue then get back to me — arynn (@TannyDimes) October 16, 2020. A common response to the comparison photo is that the NBA and WNBA salaries differ based on the number of viewers tuning in each week. The popularity (and success) of those teams demonstrate the attraction of the game beyond the glam. The game aired on the same night as a presidential debate. According to ESPN, the network's "four-game opening slate averaged 401,000 viewers across ESPN and ABC, up 63% over the 2019 WNBA regular-season average on ESPN's Networks." To restate the obvious, men and women are different. No...But we're not comparing the WNBA to the NBA." Give the WNBA the same decades we gave the NBA and the NFL to become successful, to overcome all of its current struggles of financing, viewership and culture. There's a truth to that assumption but only if you define excitement in the limited terms of high flying dunks and super speed action. WNBA regular season games have averaged 317,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 so far this season, up 31% from last year on ESPN2 alone (243K). [19], The 180,000 viewers for 9 games in 2012 was the lowest regular season WNBA ESPN2 ratings, with 2005 having the highest regular season ratings at 282,000. The Nielson-measured average total viewers for national telecasts of NBA games was up 8% from the 2016-17 season at 1.28 million. The NBA generated $7.4 billion in 2016-17, according to Forbes, which is likely more than 100 times that of the WNBA. That's not to say that the women's game is all finesse. WNBA attendance rose again this year and TV viewership is at its highest level since 2005 as the league's 15th season heads into the final stretch. [5][6] Although the financial terms of the deal were not stated by ESPN or the WNBA, Sports Business Daily reported that sources said the deal was worth $12 million a year. compare the nba and wnba’s annual revenue then get back to me — arynn (@TannyDimes) October 16, 2020. Specifically the WNBA versus the NBA. Viewership increased 19% over last year’s first game on the network, Mercury-Storm (452K). The season has included five games on ABC or ESPN, the most at this point of the season since 2008. On Saturday, the NBA's three opening playoff games led all cable programming in viewership, and Sunday's games ranked as three of the top five most-viewed shows. Unlike the NBA, however, the WNBA does have an advantage — like fewer scandals and less dirty laundry. According to Variety, the NBA’s average television viewership rose to a four-year high in 2017-2018. They don't miss. We know ESPN is paying the WNBA $25 million to broadcast some of its games. Over the past calendar year, the Raptors have shattered a number of Canadian viewership records - both in the regular season and throughout the team's run to its first-ever NBA title. I love it but there's even more to basketball once you get past the surface attraction. NEW YORK – NBA viewership across TNT, ESPN and ABC through MLK Day (27 games) is up 34% vs. the comparable number of games during the 2019-20 season (2.0 million average viewers vs… For example, last month the WNBA averaged 250,000 viewers per game with a high of 378,000. In that same interview Ann went on to favorably compare the free throw shooting percentages between the NBA (.771) and WNBA (.771). The Kia NBA Tip-Off 2020 doubleheader on TNT on Dec. 22 – featuring the Golden State Warriors vs. the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Clippers vs… ET) was up 19% from last year’s season opener on ABC. The WNBA legend said people "think we think that when we say things like 'We want equality,'" but that, in actuality, she and her colleagues want "the same media coverage and the corporate sponsor looks." [1] [23] The 2014 WNBA finals averaged 659,000 viewers across the ESPN channels, up 91% from the 2013 finals between the Minnesota Lynx and the Atlanta Dream which averaged 345,000. Initially, Saturday and Sunday afternoon games were broadcast on ABC. Total attendance in the WNBA’s 21st season was 1,574,078, with teams averaging 7,716 fans per game. So if the game is played below the rim and the players are smaller and slower how does that impact the entertainment value of the product? The new television deal runs from 2009 to 2016. A minimum of 18 games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 each season. The NBA game is 70% individual brilliance and 30% team chemistry and execution. "So we can build the business, and then when it's really good like the NBA is, then we can get that money," Bird said. Amazing. Playing for salaries comparable to college professors and accountants, the women of the WNBA compete with passion and love of the sport. I would challenge anyone, basketball aficionado or not, to watch Deanna Nolan, Sofia Young or Katie Douglas for five games and not walk away impressed and there's not a team in the league that doesn't have several exceptional players. [31], 2017 viewership hit an all-time low with 171,000 average regular season viewers. NEW YORK – NBA viewership across TNT, ESPN and ABC through MLK Day (27 games) is up 34% vs. the comparable number … Sunday’s Mystics-Sun WNBA Finals Game 3 averaged a 0.31 rating and 425,000 viewers on ABC, marking the least-watched Finals game ever on broadcast television. How often do you see a WNBA game on national television? It is a classic business problem of balancing investment ahead of demand. Laimbeer banned ESPN from the Shock locker room for Game 4 of the series, and also refused to wear a live microphone for that game (as had been the custom throughout the regular season and the playoffs). With only 13 teams and a lack of adequate TV coverage it is difficult to follow and learn enough about the game to fully appreciate. WNBA games averaged 413,000 viewers, compared to 1.46 million viewers for NBA games. Saturday’s Sparks-Mercury WNBA opening day game averaged 540,000 viewers on ABC, marking the league’s largest opening weekend audience since 2012 (Mercury-Lynx: 804K). ABC Games In addition to achieving a multi-year high, ABC’s viewership for Saturday’s Los Angeles Sparks vs. Phoenix Mercury match-up (3 p.m. WNBA attendance rose again this year and TV viewership is at its highest level since 2005 as the league's 15th season heads into the final stretch. Relative to the history of the league, this was an extraordinary success, up … Game 2 of the 2012 WNBA Finals between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx was broadcast on ESPN (games 1,3 and 4 were on ESPN2) and received 778,000 viewers and a .6 household rating. Tuesday’s Sun-Aces WNBA semifinal Game 5 averaged 209,000 viewers on ESPN2, down from the previous semifinal Game 5s in 2018 (Mystics-Dream: 430K; Storm-Mercury: 296K). The Kia NBA Tip-Off 2020 doubleheader on TNT on Dec. 22 - featuring the Golden State Warriors vs. the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Clippers vs. the Los Angeles Lakers - was the most-watched Opening Night since 2017, averaging 2.9 million viewers. Solar Panel: Devin Booker the NBA’s biggest All-Star snub AGAIN, Espo, Dave and Saul react to Booker getting snubbed for the All-Star game, Will the Suns get two All-Stars today? Understanding the game so well that being the right place at the right time isn't a unique talent but a required skill. [12], In 2015 ESPN2 televised ten regular season games, and ESPN one, for an average of 202,000 viewers. It was also announced that ESPN2 would televise a half-hour pre-game show before each broadcast. ... We're telling ESPN today to basically stick it. It also had the most-watched WNBA … The previous low was 450,000 for Dream-Storm Game 1 in 2010. Locked On Suns Tuesday: Devin Booker explodes, defense clamps down as Suns take down Portland for third straight W, Suns JAM Session Podcast: As It Happens: All Star Reserve Selection Show. The WNBA legend said people "think we think that when we say things like 'We want equality,'" but that, in actuality, she and her colleagues want "the same media coverage and the corporate sponsor looks." I won't try and recreate their work here other than to say, once again that men and women are different. Slower and Lower ===> Passing and Movement. The top talent in the game has the ability to consistently amaze on a nightly basis. And before you toss your rotten tomatoes at me for being a spoil sport, I'll gladly admit that was in total shock and awe last month in Vegas when I saw Blake Griffin fly in from the 3 point line and leap past, around and over various mortals to throw down a left handed put back jam. National television viewership for NBA games had nosedived 12 percent since the end of the season compared to 2018-19, per the Sports Business Daily story. This is big for the WNBA and women’s sports as a whole, as the CBS deal continues to offer more exposure while generating even greater interest than the … Long time fans and regular watchers of the WNBA might dismiss these two "conversion stories" given the common thread that runs through both, the Phoenix Mercury. The minimum salary for an NBA player with no experience in the league is almost eight times that amount, at $838,000. Viewership increased 19% over last year’s first game on the network, Mercury-Storm (452K). But we're not comparing the WNBA to the NBA." There’s a major decline in viewership between the two, along with advertisements. During halftime of the broadcasts, Cindy Brunson and more recently Doris Burke provide game analysis and other sports updates. The game received a little over 1 millio… But when you watch Becky Hammon and Nikki Anosike on a regular basis you can't help but be impressed with their superior abilities. While much of sports TV viewership has suffered during the pandemic, the NBA had a 37% decline in playoff viewers, and Game 3 of the NBA Finals saw a historic low of 5.3 million viewers. The NBA’s total revenue in 2017 was about $8.76 billion and $4.3 billion of it went to its players; The WNBA’s total revenue in 2017 was about $60 million and $20 million of … The Twitter users cited the estimated $8.76 billion in annual revenue from the 2018-19 season. The Twitter users cited the estimated $8.76 billion in annual revenue from the 2018-19 season. If you are going to see a WNBA game for the first time (or at least the first time in a long time) there's no doubt that the league's most potent offense lead by two of the game's biggest stars is a good place to start. WNBA regular season games have averaged 317,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 so far this season, up 31% from last year on ESPN2 alone (243K). The Nielson-measured average total viewers for national telecasts of NBA games was up 8% from the 2016-17 season at 1.28 million. Still, it is a tall order for the WNBA to achieve NBA … The NBA isn't all dunks and blazing speed as anyone who holds a grudging appreciation for Jerry Sloan's old school motion sets or appreciates the beauty of the San Antonio Spurs defensive team work and discipline can tell you. The Yankees vs. Nationals ESPN telecast peaked with 4,480,000 viewers at 8:30 p.m. On some occasions, the sound of players and coaches talking will overlap with commentary; also, on several occasions, ESPN has had to mute the sound because of expletives. [24] Game one of the finals telecast on ABC, drew 571,000 viewers, up from 558,000 for game 1 in 2014. [14], The 2009 regular season on ESPN2 (13 telecasts) concluded with an average of 269,000 viewers, up 8% vs. 2008 season (248,000 viewers). Add to that a couple of big personalities and a lot of depth and this team is flat out fun. But who's to complain? A common response to the comparison photo is that the NBA and WNBA salaries differ based on the number of viewers tuning in each week. For example, last month the WNBA averaged 250,000 viewers per game with a high of 378,000. Most WNBA skeptics assume that the answer to that question is that it makes the game boring and less interesting. This was the highest rated WNBA broadcast on ESPN since a 1999 Western Conference Finals game between the Houston Comets and Los Angeles Sparks received 1,052,000 viewers and a 1.1 household rating. The Finals between Seattle and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 440,000 viewers for the three-game series, up 15% over the WNBA Finals. Ball movement and cutting are punctuated by wing isolation and individual post moves. Bethlehem Shoals from Sporting New's Baseline recently described the WNBA style of play as "old school" and expressed a new found appreciation for the "W". The season has included five games on ABC or ESPN, the most at this point of the season since 2008. NEW YORK – Kia NBA Tip-Off 2020 (Dec. 22-25) was the most-watched opening week since 2012, with combined viewership across TNT, ESPN and ABC up 67% vs. last year’s Opening Week from Oct. 22-25 (3.4 million viewers vs. 2.0 million viewers).. “The queens in the WNBA needed help. But I digress. On March 28, 2013, ESPN and the WNBA announced they had extended their agreement through 2022. The top two teams in the league – the defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx – are set to battle it out in a best-of-fives series that tips off Sunday, September 24, at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. Yes, the WNBA gets less media attention than the NBA, but they also do not have access to the same resources or have the same opportunities as the NBA. The hard corp basketball fan. Sure, the Mercury's stars Tuarasi and Pondexter benefit from from the style of play but you can't watch Cappie break ankles with a hard cross over followed by a spin move and finish without being impressed. [33] 2019 the regular season WNBA viewership across ESPN and ABC networks averaged a combined 246,000 viewers. A prerequisite for appreciating the WNBA is the basic acceptance of women as athletes. [16][17] The average viewership for the 4 finals games in 2012 was 477,000.