The 2025 WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury averaged 1.5 million viewers across four games, marking the second-most-watched Finals series on ESPN since the network acquired exclusive postseason rights in 2003.
The viewership total trails only the 1.6 million average from the 2024 Finals. The numbers demonstrate the league’s continued growth despite questions about sustaining momentum from its historic 2024 campaign.
The series concluded in a four-game sweep by A’ja Wilson and the Aces over the Mercury. The lopsided outcome prevented the league from fully capitalizing on its first best-of-seven playoff series format.
Last year’s decisive Game 5 between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx drew 2.15 million viewers, the most-watched WNBA Finals game of the 2000s. The absence of a similar elimination game likely impacted overall series viewership.
The 2025 Finals viewership doubled the 728,000 average from 2023 when the Aces defeated the Liberty in four games. The entire postseason averaged 1.2 million viewers, up 5% from last year despite Caitlin Clark’s absence from the playoffs.
Nielsen’s methodology change to the Big Data + Panel model earlier this year has boosted viewership numbers across all sports. The inclusion of out-of-home viewership since 2020 also contributes to higher totals.
The WNBA now faces a crucial offseason period as the league and its players’ union must reach a new collective bargaining agreement by October 31 or agree to extend negotiations to avoid a work stoppage.
Game 1 on ESPN led all Finals broadcasts with 1.9 million viewers. Games 2 through 4 drew between 1.2 and 1.4 million viewers across ESPN and ABC.