WNBA Season Off to Strong Ratings Start; Most-Watched Regular-Season Game on ESPN2 in Nine Years

The new WNBA season-opening Memorial Day doubleheader on ESPN2 - Washington Mystics at Tulsa Shock, followed by Chicago Sky at the Phoenix Mercury - averaged a 0.3 household coverage rating and an average of 366,000 viewers (P2+), including the most-viewed regular-season game on ESPN2 in nine years. The doubleheader showcased the top four teams from the 2013 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm - which included the "3 to See" trio of Elena Delle Donne (Delaware to Chicago), Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame to Tulsa) and Brittney Griner (Baylor to Phoenix). On TV and online (ESPN.com, espnW.com), ESPN will take an in-depth, season-long look at their transition from college to the WNBA.

The Washington at Tulsa 3 p.m. ET telecast earned a 0.3 rating (314,000 viewers), while at 5 p.m. Chicago at Phoenix produced a 0.4 rating (455,000 viewers). The later game is the most-viewed WNBA game on ESPN2 since Phoenix at New York on July 11, 2004 (487,000, based on a 0.5 rating)..

The 2012 WNBA regular season on ESPN2 averaged a 0.2 household coverage rating.

The WNBA returns on Saturday, June 8, at 3:30 p.m. with the first game of the year ABC, the Phoenix Mercury with Griner and Diana Taurasi at the defending champion Indiana Fever.