The previous record for the most-watched Finals opener was 1.07 million for Game 1 of the Mercury-Comets 1998 series on ESPN and Lifetime.
The thrilling Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, which saw the Minnesota Lynx defeat the New York Liberty in overtime, set a new viewership record on Thursday. The game attracted an average of 1.14 million viewers on ESPN.
The previous record for the most-watched Finals opener was 1.07 million for Game 1 of the Mercury-Comets 1998 series on ESPN and Lifetime.
The wild game on Thursday saw the Lynx overcoming an 18-point deficit to beat New York 95-93 in the finals opener.
Minnesota’s 18-point comeback against the Liberty tied for the largest comeback in WNBA Finals history.
This strong viewership for the Lynx vs. Liberty is even more impressive, given that Thursday Night Football and an MLB postseason game were aired simultaneously.
According to Sports Media Watch, the Lynx vs. Liberty Game 1 was also the most-watched WNBA Finals game and the first to draw over a million viewers in 21 years.
The recent data is good news for the WNBA, which saw a sharp decline in viewership last month after the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark were eliminated in the first round of the postseason.
The Thursday night matchup between the Lynx and Liberty became the 27th WNBA telecast this season to surpass the one-million-viewer mark, setting a new single-season record.
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The previous high for a million-mark viewership was 15 games, which was set back in 1998.
Notably, of those 27 broadcasts, this was only the third game that didn’t feature Caitlin Clark and the Fever, clearly indicating the WNBA Rookie of the Year’s impact this season.
The second game of the WNBA Finals will be played on Sunday, October 12, at the Barclays Center.
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