The popularity of women’s basketball is skyrocketing, and with the WNBA season tip-off just days away, digital sports platforms have an unmissable opportunity to ramp up their coverage.

A total of 51 WNBA widgets are now available, providing a wide variety of perspectives to enhance understanding of the action on the court and engagement in the big storylines among the league’s expanding fan base.

Engage, inform, immerse

The widgets cover everything from live scores and game statistics to team schedules, rosters, standings, playoff brackets, and league-wide player and team statistics.

They not only cater to the increasing appetite for statistical insights among existing fans of the pinnacle of women’s basketball; they also engage, inform and immerse the sport’s considerable number of new followers.

In fact, it is impossible to ignore the surge in interest in the sport.

The 2023 WNBA Draft in April attracted a 42% year-on-year increase in the audience on ESPN to rank as the second most-watched WNBA Draft of all time and the highest for nearly two decades.i

On digital media, though, the impact was even more significant. A total of 10.3 million video views were registered, ensuring the 2023 WNBA Draft comfortably attracted the largest online audience in the event’s history and an incredible 141% year-on-year increase.ii

Surge in interest

This spike in interest followed a 2022 WNBA campaign that set new benchmarks across critical metrics.

As the most-watched campaign in 14 years, the regular-season schedule pulled in an average 16% year-on-year increase in viewership across the league’s national television partners, ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2.iii

Across all WNBA social media handles, a record 186 million video views were registered – a year-on-year rise of 36% – and traffic to the WNBA.com website nearly doubled in terms of unique visitors, total visits and page views.

Additionally, the captivating and record-breaking Women’s March Madness is still fresh in the memory.

LSU’s victory over Iowa in the national championship game earlier this year was the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all time, with an average audience of 9.9 million viewers and a peak of 12.6 million on ESPN.iv

The matchup also attracted the highest streaming audience to date on ESPN+ for a sporting event – for women or men – showing the digital reach of thrilling female sports action.

Betting spike

The huge audiences led to a spike in betting, with operators like BetMGM reporting a 30% increase in wagers on the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament this year.v

Sportradar’s new WNBA widgets also provide sportsbooks with the tools to fulfill the expectations of ever-demanding sports betting customers.

Widgets covering the spread, moneyline and over/under odds for all WNBA games will be delivered, as well as future odds for markets like the championship team, conference winners, MVP and more.

Beating the summer slump

It should not be forgotten that, with its regular-season campaign running from May 19 to September 10, the WNBA can engage fans of several other sports who are hungry for action during the traditional summer lull in the schedule.

Providing comprehensive coverage can also expand a platform’s audience by connecting with existing WNBA fans – a significant proportion of whom are female.

Additionally, it is worth noting that more than half of the general population in the United States, as well as 58% of sports fans and 69% of avid fans, believe media platforms have a responsibility to promote the growth of women’s sports.

The WNBA provides an ideal opportunity to do just that. Sportradar’s engaging widgets give fans what they want, digital platforms can spotlight top talents, enthralling games and intriguing storylines from women’s basketball like never before.