It was a big finish for the 2024 WNBA season.
The fifth game of this year’s WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty was the most-viewed WNBA finals game in 25 years across all networks, according to ESPN, citing Nielsen data. The game aired on ESPN and topped out at 3.3 million viewers.
The viewership for Game 5 is especially impressive considering the competition for attention Sunday night. The National Football League’s “Sunday Night Football” and Major League Baseball’s National League Championship Series aired at the same time.
Viewership across the entire WNBA Finals series more than doubled compared to last year, a continuation of the growing popularity of the WNBA and women’s sports more broadly.
This year’s finals were helped even more by a close battle between a perennial WNBA powerhouse in the Lynx and a previously championship-less contender in the Liberty. Four of the five games were decided by 5 or fewer points, and two games, including the final, went into overtime. The Liberty eventually prevailed, winning 67-62 in front of their home crowd.
The impressive viewership caps off a WNBA season that saw viewership, engagement and attendance up across the board.
