ESPN recorded its highest average viewership for WNBA playoff coverage this season, averaging 1.4 million viewers, which represents a 23% increase from last year’s average of 1.1 million prior to the Finals. This year, coverage was split among various networks, including NBCUniversal and USA Network, resulting in ESPN and ABC airing only eight of the 16 first and second-round games, compared to 20 games last year.

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ESPN missed broadcasting the most-watched playoff game, Fever-Aces Game 3, which drew 2.25 million viewers on USA Sports, as well as a full series in the Valkyries-Aces semifinal. However, the network also avoided airing some lower-viewed games, particularly on NFL Sundays.

Viewership metrics are historically affected by changes in Nielsen’s measurement methods, including the addition of out-of-home viewing and enhanced tracking of co-viewing, but this season’s viewership remains significantly higher than in most previous years.

The most-watched game for ESPN was Fever-Aces Game 1 in the first round, which averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.11 million viewers on ABC. This was the only Fever game aired this postseason, following eight games last year.

ESPN's coverage culminated with Dream-Liberty Game 3, which had a rating of 0.7 and 1.435 million viewers. Although this marked a slight decline from last year’s Aces-Fever Game 3, viewership increased by 1%. The Dream-Liberty series included three games that ranked among the ten most-watched semifinal contests since the best-of-five format was introduced in 2016.

No viewership figures were available for Games 2 or 3 of the Valkyries-Aces series, which aired on Peacock and NBCSN. The semifinal round concluded ESPN’s WNBA coverage for the season, with NBCUniversal and USA Sports set to air the Finals, marking the first time ESPN will not broadcast a Finals game since 2000.

Prime Video averaged 943,000 viewers for its playoff games, with Aces-Fever Game 2 attracting 1.42 million. NBC recorded an average of 1.12 million for its single broadcast of Aces-Valkyries Game 1. Average viewership for USA Sports' three first-round games has yet to be disclosed, but it did air the playoffs' most-watched game in Fever-Aces Game 3.