Another bona fide superstar going No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft led ESPN to another strong rating for the event. Coming off last season’s successful draft, where the Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark as the first overall pick, Monday’s WNBA Draft featured UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers being chosen No. 1 by the Dallas Wings, delivering another seven-figure audience for the league. Monday’s telecast on ESPN averaged 1.25 million viewers, as reported by ESPN PR. Although this figure is down 49% from last year’s Clark-fueled draft broadcast that averaged a record-setting 2.45 million viewers, it represents a 119% increase compared to 2023, which averaged 572,000 viewers on ESPN. Before last season, the most-watched WNBA Draft telecast occurred in 2004 when 601,000 viewers watched Diana Taurasi be picked first overall.
The 2025 #WNBADraft on ESPN delivered the second most-viewed WNBA Draft ever, averaging 1.25M viewers👏
🏀 1.46M peak
🏀 Most-viewed program across ALL TV among M18-34, M18-49 & P18-34
🏀 Top cable program among M25-54, P18-49 & P25-54 pic.twitter.com/io5HdjpuSF— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 15, 2025
As mentioned extensively on various platforms, comparisons to telecasts featuring Caitlin Clark might not look favorable. However, when measuring against non-Clark broadcasts from previous years, there’s a notable increase in the baseline of women’s basketball viewership. Prior to last year’s draft, no WNBA telecast since 2008 had surpassed the one-million viewer mark, a benchmark the league broke more than two dozen times last season, even without Clark during Monday’s draft. ESPN’s audience peaked at 1.46 million viewers on Monday, making it the most-watched program on television across key demographics, including males aged 18-34 and persons aged 18-34. The bar has officially been raised for the WNBA, and the upcoming season promises to be pivotal for the league’s future.
