Indiana Fever Insider Shatters Caitlin Clark Reality With Viewership Numbers From Game 1 vs Aces

The popular narrative was that with Caitlin Clark’s injury, the WNBA viewership would nose-dive. It was not without reason, all four of the most-watched games this season featured Clark despite playing only 13 games. That’s not a coincidence. The Indiana Fever point guard is a crowd puller. However, the latest Indiana Fever numbers have just reset expectations about the post-Clark audience floor.

“Fever-Aces Game 1 on Sunday averaged 1.4 million viewers on ABC. It’s the most-watched semifinal game on Disney networks.” Wrote Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson. For comparison, Fever games in 2025 saw an average viewership of 1.26 million viewers (through 19 games). Game 2 of Fever-Dream averaged 1.5 million viewers on ESPN, making it the second-most-watched first-round Game 2 in WNBA history. That figure was a much-needed rebound from Game 1, which brought in 951,000 viewers on ABC. Game 3 was a slight drop, averaging 1.3 million viewers on ESPN2, while peaking at 1.8 million.

Putting these numbers in front of the Fever’s 2024 playoff numbers, the Indiana Fever’s first-round series in 2024 averaged approximately 2.17 million viewers over two games. These numbers show that Caitlin Clark is important to the ratings, but not as much as people consider her to be. The Indiana Fever fans are not just Caitlin Clark fans, and they are tuning in to watch their team fight through the cob web of injuries. Fever’s underdog story is resonating throughout the league as they rallied to the biggest against-the-odds semifinal or final win since 2017.

And it is not only about the Fever either, as the other semifinal Game not featuring them set another record. “Mercury-Lynx was most-watched semifinal* game on ESPN since 1999.” Wrote Peterson. There has been a distinction between Fever games and others. It has been Fever, daylight, and the rest. But they are catching up fast. Almost all game 1s, apart from the Fever, surged to double-digit improvement from 2024. 

 

Fever-Aces Game 1 on Sunday averaged 1.4 million viewers on ABC. It’s the most-watched semifinal game on Disney networks.

Mercury-Lynx on ESPN later on Sunday averaged 716,000 viewers, which is the most-watched game on ESPN since 1999.

— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) September 23, 2025

The 2025 WNBA season averaged 969,000 viewers across ESPN networks, Ion, and CBS, a 3% increase in viewership relative to last year, according to Sports Media Watch.  Yes, Fever games contribute to that number, but if we refer to the smaller data set, the non-Fever games through the first 56 averaged 549,000 viewers, which was up 37%. We did not get a bifurcation on the season-wide data, but the conclusion is that while Clark-games are firing all cylinders, the non-Clark floor is higher than many expected. 

Indiana Fever Will Company At The Top, And It’s A Good Thing 

The Golden State Valkyries have arguably set the bar too high for the upcoming expansion teams. In the first season, they had the highest average attendance with 18,064. Even surpassing the 2025 and 2024 Indiana Fever, who had 16,560 and 17,035, respectively. Despite not playing in Balhalla for the playoffs, the same energy transferred 50 miles away. When the Valkyries blew a 14-point lead in their first home playoff game at the SAP Center, the entire crowd stood up to applaud the team. 

“One basket. We could have won by just one basket,” said Rita Garcia, a Golden State Valkyries fan. “Those last couple of minutes were so heartbreaking.” In just their first year, they have become the first women’s sports team to be valued at $500 million, according to an analysis by the sports industry publication Sportico. While their individual TV numbers are not available, Valkyries have developed a strong fanbase in the first season itself, without any stars. 

Jun 22, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries fans perform the wave during the fourth quarter against the Connecticut Sun at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

They were the underdogs in 2025, but as we move to 2026, things will likely change. The Valkyries have everything to attract the biggest names in the league. They have the crowd, the culture, the coach, and championship aspirations. As more popular players join Valkyries, they could go neck and neck with the Indiana Fever in the viewership standings. The fairytale 2025 season has set them up for a major jump in 2026, on and off the court. If that’s not enough, two new expansion teams from Toronto and Portland are set to join in 2026. While we can’t expect the same success from those two, their arrival adds excitement. That is despite all of the league’s current problems. 

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