SerpApi.Org
Caitlin Clark is the biggest ratings draw that the WNBA has ever had and that's not really in dispute. What is in dispute is which of the networks broadcasting the games holds the true record for biggest viewership of the 2026 season.
Over the past 10 days, both CBS and NBC have boasted having the highest ratings for their WNBA broadcast of Caitlin Clark. CBS announced yesterday that their July 18 broadcast of the Fever-Liberty game averaged 2.579 million and peaked at three million before boasting that it was the most-viewed game of the season.
However, NBC asserted that their July 12 broadcast of the Fever-Aces game did 2.64 million views across NBC and Peacock, which they declared to be the biggest game based on their Total Audience Delivery metrics.
Who has the record?
Dan Zaksheske of OutKick noted on Wednesday that both media companies used very different metrics to gauge their own ratings, which has made it a little tough to figure out who truly holds the record between CBS and NBC.
"CBS’s 2.579 million figure was based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurement. NBC’s 2.64 million figure was a combined Total Audience Delivery across NBC and Peacock, incorporating Nielsen’s television data and digital viewing measured by Adobe Analytics," Zaksheske explained.
"In other words, CBS is claiming the most-watched WNBA game on an individual television network. NBC is claiming the largest combined audience across its broadcast and streaming platforms."
The implication is that NBC has bolstered its own numbers through the use of its Peacock app to simulcast the game on NBC. Sports Media Watch reportedly has NBC's linear audience at 2.46 million, suggesting that NBC might be inflating their numbers just a little bit.
CBS and NBC might not agree on much, but they both surely agree that Caitlin Clark is a big draw for them. And it's likely that the numbers only get better as the season progresses.
