"I'M AT BEVY'S TAVERN WITH SOME FRIENDS TONIGHT TO WATCH CAITLIN CLARK PLAY SOME PRO BALL."> Caitlin Clark made her W-N-B-A debut Tuesday night. Loyal fans packed the local bar in West Des Moines to watch the Indiana Fever take on the Connecticut Sun. <CLIP 9748 TIME 19:07:06 "WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT WHAT SHE HAS BROUGHT TO WOMEN'S SPORTS, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, WHAT SHE'S BROUGHT TO IOWA."> <CLIP 9728 TIME 17:24:37 "IT'S OUR FIRST EVER INDIANA FEVER WATCH PARTY IN SUPPORT OF OUR HOMETOWN GIRL CAITLIN CLARK."> Owner Nick Fogle says the bar will host watch parties for every single one of the Fever's games. <CLIP 9728 TIME 17:24:53 "IT'S THE CUSTOMER BASE THAT'S BEEN ASKING FOR IT. WE LOVE WATCHING SPORTS HERE. AND THEY WANTED ANOTHER REASON JUST TO COME IN AND AND SUPPORT THE INDIANA FEVER."> Fogle says women's sports have never been a driver for bars. That was before Clark stepped on the court four years ago. Now --- he says following the Fever just makes sense. <CLIP 9278 TIME 17:25:
ESPN draws record audience for Caitlin Clark's first WNBA game
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Updated: 8:27 AM CDT May 16, 2024
ESPN’s broadcast of the Connecticut Sun’s game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever had the highest viewership for a WNBA game on the network.Watch above: Loyal Caitlin Clark fans pack West Des Moines bar to watch her WNBA debutThe Sun’s 92-71 win over the Fever in Clark’s WNBA debut on the league’s opening night on Tuesday drew an average of 2.1 million viewers on ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+, including a high of 2.3 million viewers between 7:45 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. That topped ESPN’s previous mark of nearly 1.5 million viewers for a Phoenix Mercury-Connecticut Sun game on May 22, 2004, in Diana Taurasi’s rookie season. FULL FEVER SCHEDULE: Here's how to watch every Caitlin Clark game in 2024The second game between Phoenix and the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces averaged 464,000 viewers, with the two games averaging 1.28 million — a 192% increase over the league’s average last year for broadcasts on ESPN.Clark set the NCAA all-time scoring record at Iowa last season and she was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the national championship game, which her Hawkeyes lost to unbeaten South Carolina. Clark's arrival to the WNBA has already been a big boost for the league. The WNBA draft had record viewership, and three teams have already moved their games to bigger arenas to keep up with the demand for tickets to watch her play.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — ESPN’s broadcast of the Connecticut Sun’s game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever had the highest viewership for a WNBA game on the network.
Watch above: Loyal Caitlin Clark fans pack West Des Moines bar to watch her WNBA debut
The Sun’s 92-71 win over the Fever in Clark’s WNBA debut on the league’s opening night on Tuesday drew an average of 2.1 million viewers on ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+, including a high of 2.3 million viewers between 7:45 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. That topped ESPN’s previous mark of nearly 1.5 million viewers for a Phoenix Mercury-Connecticut Sun game on May 22, 2004, in Diana Taurasi’s rookie season.
FULL FEVER SCHEDULE: Here's how to watch every Caitlin Clark game in 2024
The second game between Phoenix and the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces averaged 464,000 viewers, with the two games averaging 1.28 million — a 192% increase over the league’s average last year for broadcasts on ESPN.
Clark set the NCAA all-time scoring record at Iowa last season and she was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the national championship game, which her Hawkeyes lost to unbeaten South Carolina. Clark's arrival to the WNBA has already been a big boost for the league. The WNBA draft had record viewership, and three teams have already moved their games to bigger arenas to keep up with the demand for tickets to watch her play.
