Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are once again being treated as the biggest draw in the WNBA by the league’s broadcast partners.
After enormous viewership marks for Fever games during Clark’s rookie season in 2024, 41 of Indiana’s 44 games this year will air on national television. The Fever are even leading the way in the formation of a new primetime broadcast window on CBS with two marquee games in that slot scheduled this summer.
According to the WNBA, Clark’s squad will be featured five times on ABC; five times on ESPN; eight times on ION; six times on Amazon Prime Video; and three times on CBS. The other 14 games will appear on cable networks CBS Sports Network and NBA TV.
The new primetime window on CBS will see Clark and the Fever clash with rival Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, June 7, and Saturday, August 9. The increased investment on the part of CBS comes after the over-the-air network carved out a well-watched weekly Saturday midday slot in 2023 and 2024.
Primetime matchups.
Marquee players.
Fierce rivalries.Our 2025 @WNBA schedule has it all. pic.twitter.com/aFc5mf9YUO
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2025
This fall and winter on Fox, women’s college basketball proved to be a big draw during premier timeslots. With a lead-in from NFL on Dec. 21, a matchup between Paige Buecker and JuJu Watkins drew more than 2 million average viewers.
The floor for women’s basketball games may not be as high as other sports yet, but between college and the WNBA, networks are learning that big stars draw big-time viewership. And Caitlin Clark certainly fits that mold as the biggest star in the sport and one of the biggest stars in any American sport.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.