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Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s arrival and a major surge in viewers over the past year led to ION Television reaching a multiyear agreement on Friday to extend its broadcasting partnership with the WNBA.
ION, which is owned by the Cincinnati-based, E.W. Scripps Co., did not reveal the length or value of the contract, which extends the network’s original deal reached in 2023 to broadcast regular-season games and host a weekly studio show.
The existing three-year deal is worth $13 million per season.
In a release, ION said the average viewership for its WNBA Friday Night Spotlight show increased by 133% from 2023 to 2024, and attracted more than 23 million unique viewers, including game coverage. The jump coincides with Clark’s celebrated rookie season in Indiana last year.
The network reaches more than 128 million homes though its various platforms.
Last year, the WNBA struck an 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC that begins in 2026 and is worth about $200 million a year.
Clark’s impact on viewership became even more noteworthy over the past three weeks when the player missed five games due to a quad injury. Viewership ratings over those games were down more than 50% both for the Fever and league-wide, according to Nielsen Media Data. Clark is set to return to action Saturday afternoon against the New York Liberty.
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