Two of the WNBA’s juggernauts clashed for the first time this season on Sunday. The Indiana Fever were on a historic winning streak, setting the record for the most consecutive 100-point wins with 5, while the league-leading Minnesota Lynx had won nine consecutive games. Naturally, the anticipation for the game was palpable, but Sunday’s viewership numbers showed just how excited fans were.

“ABC’s telecast of Fever at Lynx on Sunday averaged 2.5 million viewers and peaked at 3.1M — its second most-watched regular season game in ESPN history,” Fever beat reporter Scott Agness revealed on his August 4 post.

These numbers barely lose ground even when you factor in the postseason games. The historic number represents a 77% jump compared to last year’s regular-season average on the sister networks, which share sports coverage under the ESPN on ABC banner. Even the game’s countdown averaged 818,000 viewers on ABC, which is an increase of 20% year-over-year.

The Target Center crowd, listed as 16,505, certainly had plenty of Fever fans. Even rookie Olivia Miles felt like she needed to draw attention to it after hearing the other team being cheered loudly in their own home stadium.

“Yeah, special. It was weird hearing fans cheer on the other team scored. That’s what I knew the majority of the fans were Fever fans, but also when we would score, it was really loud as well,” she told Andrew Dukowitz after the game.

The game itself saw no shortage of action, as the league’s No. 1 offense tried everything to get over against the league’s No. 2 defense. Ultimately, with just over two minutes left, Indiana was just two points shy of the Lynx, at 98-100, but Collier and Co. held on, beating Indiana 108-100.

Indiana’s games continue to draw viewers, as this is not the first time one of their games has broken a viewership record this season. The July 12 Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces game on NBC and Peacock was the most-watched WNBA game of the 2026 season at the time, averaging 2.64 million viewers and peaking at 2.8 million.

The Caitlin Clark Effect Was on Full Display

While the WNBA continues to grow, the main engine behind its popularity continues to be Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

Indiana is the only team to have all of its 44 regular-season games on national TV. Clark’s popularity can be judged from the fact that before her arrival, the league had gone nearly 16 years without drawing 1 million viewers for a game. Now Fever games regularly surpass that mark.

Their high-profile matchups draw massive audiences. Their July 15 game against the Golden State Valkyries averaged 1.14 million viewers, setting a record for the cable network. It was the most-watched WNBA game ever aired on USA Sports, as per USA Sports PR.

Clark’s own popularity continues to see a phenomenal jump. Her #22 jersey is the second-most-sold jersey among all basketball players in the United States, reportedly ahead of stars like LeBron James and Jayson Tatum, and just behind NBA superstar Stephen Curry, according to USA Today.

The Fever comfortably outsells every other franchise when it comes to filling up their home stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Just ahead of the All-Star Break, the Fever announced that they had three back-to-back sellout games. “Three straight sellouts. Three straight wins. thanks to the best fans in the @WNBA 🔥,” they shared in their July 23 post on X.

Meanwhile, Nike has officially revealed the look and release timetable for Clark’s inaugural signature shoe, the Nike Caitlin 1. The sneaker officially launches worldwide on October 1, 2026, through the Nike SNKRS Platform and select global retailers and is expected to sell out in a short span.

So it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another Fever game surpass the viewership record this season, given we are still left with 14 games in the regular season, and Indiana looks likely to make the playoffs as well, meaning fans will have no shortage of live action.