Caitlin Clark, Fever Pick Up Where They Left Off in TV Ratings Department
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are back like they never left—and so is viewership interest.
The Fever's preseason opener against the New York Liberty on April 25, which also happened to be Clarks' first WNBA action since July due to injury, garnered record ratings for ION.
The game averaged 743,000 viewers, peaking at 822,000, making it the most-watched ever preseason game on the network. It also was an increase of 76% over last year's first preseason game and 129% over the second preseason game of 2025. Those contests were a double-header starting with Paige Bueckers' debut with the Dallas Wings against the Las Vegas Aces, followed by the Chicago Sky (who still had Angel Reese at the time) taking on the Brazilian national team.
Season 30 is just getting started 📈 The April 25 Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty game is now the most-watched WNBA preseason game ever on ION, averaging 743,000 viewers and peaking at 822,000. https://t.co/K1yPzrzuaB
— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) April 29, 2026
Of course, when it comes to Clark and the Fever, this is a trend and not a blip, and the league as a whole has seen numbers up across the board during the same time period.
It's no secret that games featuring Clark have generated the largest audience since her arrival to the league in 2024, but last season games the Fever played with Clark out injured still outdrew the rest of the WNBA. While the league overall also saw its most-watched season ever on ESPN networks in 2025.
To put that simply, contests featuring Clark bring in the highest ratings, Fever games outrate all other teams, and all games are doing better than they have in the past.
Expect Explosive WNBA Ratings in 2026
Despite WNBA ratings being up last season, they still saw a significant dip when Clark first went out with injury. But that just means the league should be poised for a massive season in the ratings department.
Considering interest in the entire WNBA has grown, Clark is back healthy, and every Fever game is nationally televised, expect record-shattering ratings announcements all season.
The next chance for that to happen will once again come on ION, as Clark and the Fever take on Bueckers and the Wings in preseason action Thursday. They will also meet up with Dallas to kick off the 2026 regular season campaign, in a game that will be broadcast on ABC—meaning viewership should be expected to be in the millions.
While it’s the most-watched preseason game on **ION**, it’s not the most-watched WNBA preseason game.
— Vanshay Murdock🎥 NEW ACCOUNT (@mvanshay) April 29, 2026
ESPN achieved that last year:
🏀 Fever vs Brazil in Iowa - 1.3M ❗️ https://t.co/Kqih0AErvC https://t.co/s8FqTuwTnx pic.twitter.com/ysccEa1YqX
Any way you look at it, the WNBA is in a healthy position, one that is sure to only get stronger with Clark back to full health.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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