Caitlin Clark could be on national television in 90 percent of her WNBA games next season, as her new team, Indiana Fever, will be featured in 36 of 40 broadcasts.
- Clark is the Fever’s presumptive No. 1 overall pick in next week’s WNBA draft.
- Before its selection, the WNBA bets on its significant television audiences
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The WNBA plans to have Caitlin Clark on national television in almost all of its regular season rookie games, as the league looks to capitalize on the momentum generated by the massive viewing figures it has helped create at the university.
With Clark expected to be drafted into the WNBA next week — likely by the Indiana Fever first overall — the league announced that 36 of the Fever’s 40 games would be televised nationally.
The news comes after the women’s national championship beat the men’s final for the first time ever.
An average of 18.9 million people watched Iowa’s loss to South Carolina, while only 14.8 million watched UConn vs. Purdue.
Clark helped set several viewership records in women’s college basketball at Iowa.
The Indiana Fever doesn’t have a lot of mainstream star power, but that’s going to change with Clark
Additionally, Iowa’s Final Four victory over UConn — which drew a peak of 17 million viewers — was ESPN’s most-watched basketball game, the network said.
According to a Fever press release, it will play two games on ABC, five on ESPN, one on ESPN 2, two on CBS, one on CBS Sports Network, eight on ION, four on Prime Video and 13 on NBA TV during the season 2024.
Indiana landed the top pick after winning the draft last December.
This will be the second year in a row that Fever has held the No. 1 overall spot after selecting Aliyah Boston last April.
In recent years, Indiana has been an afterthought in the WNBA, with the addition of Clark alone bucking that trend.
The Fever haven’t won a playoff game since 2015 and had the worst record, 18-58, in the WNBA last season.
