Ever since Caitlin Clark entered the WNBA in 2024, the league has experienced a significant surge in viewership, with several milestones reflecting her impact.
That trend has continued this season as well, further highlighting Clark’s star power and her role as a major driver of television audiences.
Clark drives historic ratings
According to USA Sports PR, the Indiana Fever’s July 15 matchup against the Golden State Valkyries averaged 1.14 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game ever aired on USA Sports. The previous record had also belonged to Clark and the Fever, set just a week earlier.
On July 8, Indiana’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks attracted an average audience of 1.04 million viewers across USA Network and CNBC despite its late 10 p.m. ET tip-off on a Wednesday. That contest became the first WNBA game starting at 10 p.m. ET to surpass the one-million-viewer mark.
Just seven days later, however, Clark and the Fever raised the bar again. The Fever-Valkyries broadcast delivered a 172% increase compared to the average WNBA cable audience in 2025.
USA Sports also reported that it ranked as the second-most-watched WNBA game on cable or streaming this season while also finishing as the top cable entertainment program of the night.
Clark built the audience
The only WNBA broadcast to attract a larger audience this season was another Indiana Fever game. Their July 5 clash against the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.55 million viewers on ESPN despite both Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson being unavailable.
That statistic has led some to argue that Indiana’s popularity on television has grown beyond Clark herself.
There is some truth to that claim, but Clark’s influence remains the foundation of the Fever’s national appeal.
Before she arrived in Indianapolis, the franchise was nowhere near consistently producing million-viewer cable audiences. Clark transformed the Fever into one of the league’s biggest television attractions.
Performance matches popularity
Her impact also continues to be backed by elite performances on the court rather than reputation alone. Clark was recently named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 25.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
During that stretch, she produced a historic 45-point, 10-assist performance in a victory over the Seattle Storm, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record at least 40 points and 10 assists in a single game.
Another ratings record awaits
Before Clark entered the league in 2024, the WNBA had gone nearly 16 years without a game averaging one million viewers. Since then, million-viewer broadcasts have become increasingly common whenever Clark and the Fever are involved.
The Fever return to USA Network on Wednesday when they host the Connecticut Sun, giving Clark and Indiana another opportunity to break the network’s WNBA viewership record for the third consecutive week.