The WNBA received huge ratings during Caitlin Clark's record-breaking rookie season. Now, the WNBA is doing its best to secure an even bigger payday.
Taking advantage of a season in which 19 of the 22 regular season games saw viewership surpass the 1 million viewer mark, the WNBA decided to not only expand the regular season, but also move the playoffs to a seven-game format. .
“The Finals will be the culmination of what I consider to be the most transformative year in WNBA history,” Engelbert said.
“We've seen that all of the statistics we've published – viewership, attendance, merchandise sales, digital engagement – are at or near record levels. And what's happening is… To put things into perspective with a few statistics that provide insight, the WNBA significantly outperformed the industry in average consumption of live games in 2024.”
Engelbert said, “Due to the league's growth and increased demand for WNBA basketball, we are now expanding our schedule and extending the finals to give fans more opportunities to watch the world's best players compete at the highest level.” “Now is an ideal time to offer this,” he added.
The move represents a major departure from business as usual. Under the current format, the league will play the playoff semifinals and finals in a best-of-five format, with the first round played in a best-of-three format. The new format will increase the regular season by four games to 44 games, and the final series will be seven games.
Engelbert didn't specifically mention Clark, but it's no secret that the phenom rookie from Iowa State is solely responsible for the opportunity the league now has.
Clark broke the WNBA record for most points by a rookie, most points by a point guard, most assists in a single game, and most assists in a single season by a WNBA player. , a rookie record for triple-doubles in a season. She also passed Deanna Taurasi for second place for most 3-pointers made by a player in a season.
And that's not even mentioning her impact on team and league merchandising, attendance and viewership.
The league has expanded to 15 teams, with Portland recently winning the award.
