The WNBA on ESPN hits the season’s midpoint this weekend, bringing us to the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game from Phoenix, Ariz. The weekend’s action tips Friday, July 19, with the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge and the WNBA Starry® 3-Point Contest at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The action continues on Saturday, with the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, when the All-Stars face off against the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team. The game will be broadcast live on ABC with coverage from Footprint Center beginning at 8 p.m.
The All-Star festivities take place in the midst of what has been the most-watched season in league history. Through 19 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks has averaged 1.22 million viewers and is up 177 percent vs. 2023’s full regular-season average.
Among its many milestones, this season has seen the WNBA on ESPN set numerous records, including the most-watched WNBA game on ABC ever (Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty: 1.71 million on May 18), the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN networks ever (Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun: 2.1 million on May 14) and the most-watched WNBA game across all networks in 23 years (Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky: 2.3 million on June 23).
Matt Kenny (VP, Programming and Acquisitions) discusses his takeaways from the strong start to the season as well as what he expects to see after the Olympic break when action returns on Thursday, Aug. 15.
From a viewership perspective, as you look back at the season to this point, what goals do you feel have been met and what, if anything, has surprised you?
Going into the season, as with any season, the goal was to see an increase in viewership. However, I’m not sure anyone could have expected the spikes we’ve seen this year. In addition, the fact that viewership has sustained throughout the season, smashing multiple records along the way, shows that this recent trend is not a novelty. Instead, it is evidence that this new audience is here to stay—and expand!
What does it mean for ESPN to showcase WNBA All-Star Weekend?
The WNBA All-Star Weekend celebrates the biggest and brightest stars of the league. We are thrilled to televise the game in primetime on ABC for the second consecutive year. No one covers big events like ESPN and departments from across the company have aligned on plans to truly maximize this event.
Heading into the All-Star Weekend, what do you hope to see going into the second half of the season for the league?
Without question, the WNBA on ESPN platforms had an incredible first half of the season. One of the best aspects of ESPN is that the status quo is never an option. We will continue to collaborate across the company to celebrate, showcase and elevate the league, its players, rivalries and more. We have so much to be optimistic about, and in many ways, we are just getting started.
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