Comcast’s NBC and Peacock Stream Record WNBA Viewership

A recent contest between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky has generated the largest television audience for a WNBA regular-season game in nearly three decades. The broadcast, which aired on NBC and Peacock, highlights the growing appeal of the league as it enters new media rights agreements.

According to NBC Sports, the Aug. 23 matchup averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 3.31 million viewers. This figure makes it the most-watched regular-season game since the league’s inaugural weekend in 1997. Viewership peaked at 3.82 million during the broadcast. The audience ranks third all-time for a regular-season game, trailing only two contests from June 1997: the New York Liberty versus the Los Angeles Sparks and the Charlotte Sting versus the Phoenix Mercury.

The game marked the second time in WNBA history that a regular-season contest was broadcast in network prime time on a Sunday. The previous instance occurred in July when the Fever faced the Las Vegas Aces, drawing 2.64 million viewers.

From a market perspective, the broadcast performance is relevant for Comcast Corporation. As the parent company of NBC and Peacock, Comcast leverages live sports to drive viewership to its linear and streaming platforms. The company currently holds a market capitalization of approximately $96 billion and trades in the Communication Services sector. The ability to attract large audiences to women’s basketball supports Comcast’s strategy of utilizing premium sports content to engage subscribers across its ecosystem.

On the court, Indiana secured a 113-90 victory over Chicago in Wintrust Arena. The Fever were led by 37 points and 10 assists from Caitlin Clark, while Kelsey Mitchell contributed 30 points. The Sky were paced by Natasha Cloud, who recorded 16 points and seven assists.

What to watch

• Future viewership data for upcoming WNBA broadcasts on NBC and Peacock.
• Comcast’s quarterly earnings reports for subscriber growth numbers related to Peacock.

Source: original release