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Caitlin Clark’s fame has reached a caller level.
It’s nary longer noteworthy simply because she delivers different monolithic tv audience. Now, awesome networks are simultaneously claiming that they carried nan most-watched WNBA crippled of nan season. Of course, some games included Clark and nan Indiana Fever.
CAITLIN CLARK DECLINES WNBA 3-POINT CONTEST INVITATION, DEALING MAJOR BLOW TO ALL-STAR WEEKEND AND ESPN
CBS Sports announced Tuesday that nan July 18 crippled betwixt nan Indiana Fever and New York Liberty averaged 2.579 cardinal viewers and peaked astatine conscionable complete 3 million.
Caitlin Clark and nan Indiana Fever produced 2 WNBA audiences exceeding 2.5 cardinal viewers successful six days, pinch CBS and NBC some claiming nan most-watched crippled of nan 2026 season. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark helps WNBA deed historical late-night cablegram number contempt constricted return successful LA
The web called it nan most-watched WNBA crippled connected immoderate web this play and nan second-most-watched WNBA crippled connected immoderate web since 2000.
There’s conscionable 1 issue.
NBC made fundamentally nan aforesaid announcement six days earlier.
NBC said nan Fever’s July 12 crippled against nan Las Vegas Aces averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 2.64 cardinal viewers crossed NBC and Peacock. The web called it nan most-watched WNBA crippled of nan 2026 play and nan second-most-watched WNBA regular-season crippled since 2000.
So, which web really carried nan biggest WNBA crippled of nan year?
Potentially both.
The quality comes down to really nan audiences were measured and really nan networks worded their respective claims.
CBS’s 2.579 cardinal fig was based connected Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurement. NBC’s 2.64 cardinal fig was a mixed Total Audience Delivery crossed NBC and Peacock, incorporating Nielsen’s tv information and integer viewing measured by Adobe Analytics.
In different words, CBS is claiming nan most-watched WNBA crippled connected an individual tv network. NBC is claiming nan largest mixed assemblage crossed its broadcast and streaming platforms.
CBS and NBC some declare nan most-watched WNBA crippled of 2026, but dueling announcements uncover really Caitlin Clark changed nan chat astir convention ratings. (Getty Images)
The NBC full topped nan CBS number by only 61,000 viewers, a quality of astir 2.4%. But because Peacock viewers were included successful NBC’s figure, nan 2 numbers aren’t precisely apples-to-apples.
Sports Media Watch reported nan NBC linear assemblage astatine 2.46 million, pinch nan remainder of nan Total Audience Delivery coming from streaming measured by Adobe Analytics.
Neither web is needfully wrong. They are measuring somewhat different things and promoting nan type that allows each to declare nan apical spot.
That’s what web PR departments do.
But nan dueling claims uncover thing acold much important than which institution gets to put "most-watched" connected a graphic.
WNBA ALL-STAR CHARITY INITIATIVE SUPPORTS SPORTS GROUP THAT SAYS IT IS ‘MOVING BEYOND THE BINARY OF GIRL’
Clark and nan Fever produced 2 audiences exceeding 2.5 cardinal viewers successful six days, connected 2 different networks, against 2 different opponents, and connected 2 different days of nan week.
The July 12 Fever-Aces game, which was played connected a Sunday, averaged 2.64 cardinal viewers and peaked astatine 2.8 million, contempt tipping disconnected astatine 9 p.m. ET and ending aft 11 p.m. Indiana won nan game, 109-75.
Six days later, Fever-Liberty averaged 2.579 cardinal and drew much than 3 cardinal viewers astatine its highest connected a Saturday night.
CBS now owns nan 2 largest reported Nielsen-measured single-network WNBA audiences of nan season. The erstwhile leader was nan June 6 matchup betwixt nan aforesaid 2 teams, which averaged 2.557 cardinal viewers.
The rematch didn’t simply attack that audience. It surpassed it. That besides intends that Clark mightiness person helped create different must-see WNBA rivalry. Her games against Angel Reese-led teams person ever drawn well, but now it appears that fans for illustration to watch her look nan New York Liberty, too.
For nan record, nan only WNBA regular-season crippled to tie a larger assemblage since 2000 was nan Fever’s 2025 play opener against Angel Reese and nan Chicago Sky, which averaged 2.7 cardinal viewers connected ABC and peaked astatine 3.1 million.
Caitlin Clark nary longer needs to play against Angel Reese to tie historical viewerships records for nan WNBA. (Colin Hubbard/Getty Images)
The Fever’s grip connected nan modern WNBA ratings leaderboard extends acold beyond nan apical three. Based connected published nationalist tv audiences, Indiana has appeared successful nan 28 highest-rated WNBA regular-season games of nan past 20 years.
The first crippled connected nan database that did not characteristic nan Fever is nan May 2024 matchup betwixt nan Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces, which averaged 1.34 cardinal viewers connected ABC and is tied for 29th pinch a Fever-Mercury crippled from later that season.
No WNBA crippled from 2009 done 2023 reached moreover 1 cardinal viewers, and Candace Parker’s highly anticipated 2008 debut drew 1.07 million, meaning nary of those games threatens nan 1.34 cardinal cutoff.
CAITLIN CLARK KEEPS DELIVERING RECORD WNBA VIEWERSHIP AS FEVER TOP 1 MILLION CABLE VIEWERS YET AGAIN
Essentially, Clark and nan Fever person overwhelmed nan WNBA ratings floor plan to nan constituent that nan league’s biggest modern audiences are now competing against 1 another.
The biggest mobility surrounding a Caitlin Clark-driven tv standing is nary longer whether it group immoderate benignant of record.
It’s which web gets to declare it.
Dan Zaksheske is simply a newsman astatine OutKick.
