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Earlier this summer, we brought you the story of sports journalist Sarah Spain saying that ESPN rejected “multiple pitches” for a women’s sports-focused show.
Now, with the historic success and growth of the WNBA, reports indicate that ESPN is looking to capitalize on the game’s newfound popularity by launching a daily women’s basketball show.
“I think we are very close,” ESPN vice president of production Sara Gaiero said. “It’s become very difficult to turn your eyes and say, ‘We can’t find space for that.’”
ESPN's Sara Sara Gaiero on how close we are to getting daily programming on women's basketball:
"I think we are very close…It's become very difficult to turn your eyes and say, ' We can't find space for that.'"
(Q: @kdotlew3H)#WNBA
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) July 17, 2024
This season has seen the WNBA, which was first launched in 1996, achieve record highs in both attendance and viewership, according to the league.
More than half of all the WNBA games in the first have of the season were sellouts, which is an increase of 156% versus last year. The arenas the WNBA teams are playing now have a 94% capacity, as well, which represents a 17% increase from 2023.
As for the WNBA’s television metrics, this season’s televised games average 1.32 million viewers per game, which is almost three times more than the 2023 season average of 462,000.
“What’s happening now in women’s basketball is confirmation of what we’ve always known: The demand is there, and women’s sports is a valuable investment,” WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in an official statement back in June.
“We’re encouraged by growing engagement across all our verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences into our fandom. The WNBA continues to experience sustained growth as our league embraces this heightened momentum.”
If ESPN did launch a daily women’s basketball show, they certainly have a litany of talent that could host it, such as former WNBA pros Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike, who have both been rising stars at the network in recent years, both making frequent appearances on SportsCenter, First Take, and so on.