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WNBA proves its star power extends beyond Caitlin Clark with record ratings

The women's professional basketball league reached a major milestone during its 2026 regular schedule, pulling in upwards of ninety million unique viewers across national channels and registering a record three hundred twenty million viewing hours. Fifty-one national telecasts cleared the one million viewer threshold, while nine broadcasts crossed two million.

Meanwhile, ESPN and ABC averaged one point three seven million watchers per game, reflecting a seventeen percent bump from the prior year. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark appeared in forty contests following an injury-shortened 2025 campaign, anchoring several of the most-watched broadcasts.

Even outside of Indiana matchups, ESPN's coverage surged twenty-four percent to average nearly nine hundred eighty-four thousand viewers per contest, proving audience expansion across the wider roster.

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