With the next CBA still uncertain, the WNBA’s finances have become a major talking point. Players are pushing for a revenue-sharing model, but Adam Silver dismissed the idea, saying, “I think ‘share’ isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA.” Still, projections suggest the league could earn nearly $1 billion in expansion fees and $200 million annually from its 2026 broadcast deal, largely fueled by Caitlin Clark’s impact.

With the NBA season tipping off as CBA negotiations heat up, Just Women’s Sports highlighted how close the two leagues have become in viewership. “The gap between the WNBA and the NBA viewership is closing. According to ESPN, the average viewership in 2025 for the WNBA was 1.3 million people, and for the NBA last season, it was 1.53 million people. The WNBA is getting 85% of the viewership that the NBA gets, and it makes sense,” said the host.

“So in reality, the gap of viewership between the WNBA and the NBA, not that big at all.” Those numbers reflect the regular season across 25 games. The 2025 WNBA season averaged 1.2 million viewers across ESPN networks, a 5% year-over-year increase and the league’s most-watched full season ever. And that’s with Caitlin Clark, the “GOAT of TV ratings,” playing just 13 games. The comparison stands; the WNBA is steadily closing in on the NBA in viewership.

This is a very important parallel in the contentious CBA, as the players are asking for a better “share” of the revenue in a similar model that NBA players get. According to the NBA CBA, the players get 51% of all basketball-related income, while the WNBA players don’t have such a provision in their contracts.

A derived value shows us that players are getting around 9% of the BRI. While the financial outlook and ongoing CBA talks highlight how far the league has come, fan reactions tell a more complicated story about what’s truly driving the WNBA’s ratings surge.

Fans Point Out Caitlin Clark-Effect Skewing WNBA Numbers

“But then remove the Fever games,” commented a fan. It is true that the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark pull a lot of weight in bringing this average in the millions. Out of the 13 games that Clark played in 2025, 4 are the most-watched games the league had in the entire season. The most watched game was the season opener between the Chicago Sky and the Fever that which drew 2.7 million viewers.

Another fan wrote in the same breath, “If you remove CC/Fever games, the numbers would not be close. It’s why the Fever had the most nationally televised games and will continue to. The W is heading in the right direction, but you can’t make comparisons yet cause the numbers are bolstered by one player/team.”

Let’s take the Ion ratings, for example. Fever games drew an average of 954,000 viewers, down from 1.19 million for their eight network games in 2024. However, that still nearly doubles the 505,000 average for the 22 non-Fever matchups. (Note: the Non-Fever number still increased by nearly 15% year on year)

One fan pointed out a missing link nobody talks about: “Only if CC stays. ONLY!” There are rumors around the league that Caitlin Clark might leave the WNBA for better salaries in Europe. However, that currently looks unlikely. So far, she has prioritized the WNBA. Clark declined a Big 3 offer that was somewhere in the $5 million to $15 million ballpark. Clark isn’t even participating in Unrivaled (can change if this CBA situation ultimately blows up, altering the entire structure). We are hoping it doesn’t come to that.

“Does Clark skew those numbers? In other words, a random Hawks VS Nets game will do 1.85 mil, but does a random non-Clark game do the number you posted?” Another fan questioned. That’s simply misleading. In January last year, during the 2023-24 season, the Nets were averaging 43,000 total viewers per game on YES. 

That was down 34.85% from 66,600 at this same point in 2022-23, when both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were still in Brooklyn. So, star power definitely affects the television ratings in the NBA, too. It also impacted the other direction last season. After Luka Doncic’s shocking trade to the Lakers, the NBA ratings recovered after a 20% plunge early in the season. 

Games after the trade deadline saw a 16% increase in viewership compared to earlier in the season, per Sports Media Watch. It is the nature of the market, be it the NBA or the WNBA. The thing about the WNBA is that they have fewer stars capable of pulling Clark-level numbers. But that will change with time as newer stars like Paige Bueckers emerge. 

Another fan pointed out, “The NBA plays 82 games…” A bigger sample size will have balanced averages. Caitlin Clark won’t be able to pull the numbers if the WNBA had that volume of games. However, the league is still in its early stages. It’s doing better given the fact that it is still developing, whereas the NBA was already a developed league even before the W came into existence.