WNBA All-Star Game most watched since 2007

The game, in which Team Stewart defeated Team Wilson in an entertaining 143-127 affair, was certainly aided by moving to broadcast TV where there's greater reach, even in the so-called wasteland of Saturday nights in the summer. Though it did not reach one million viewers, the 2023 edition had the fourth-biggest audience in the exhibition's history. The most-watched WNBA All-Star Game took place in 2003 where the West prevailed over the East 84-75 in New York's Madison Square Garden. That game was also on ABC, but it aired in the middle of the afternoon in the East and early out West.

Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch provided more context for the game, which still held its own despite trailing programming on the other major broadcast networks:

Compared to other sports, the WNBA All-Star Game trailed last year’s lone NWSL game on broadcast network primetime, though that was a league championship (915K). It was the least-watched show of the night on the “Big Four” broadcast networks but ranked third in adults 18-49 (0.16) behind only MLB on FOX (0.39) and a re-run of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” (0.18).

Certainly, the WNBA has continued to build great momentum throughout the season. Last week, Front Office Sports reported that the league's ratings have gone up by 46% on the ESPN networks. Between ESPN and CBS, eight broadcasts have more than 600,000 viewers, which doubled the total for the entire 2022 season. Its third national partner, ION Television, has averaged just under 400,000 viewers in their Friday doubleheader window, which began for the first time this season.

The numbers are indicative of a growing audience, data that Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league office can pitch when it comes to raising the value of its next media rights package. The current broadcasting deals with ESPN/ABC, CBS and ION all expire after the 2025 season, with the ESPN deal having paid the league $27 million in 2021, a tiny sum compared to its peer leagues.