The 2024 WNBA Draft on ESPN garnered an average of 2.45 million viewers on ESPN, breaking a record for the most-watched iteration of the event. Iowa superstar guard and NCAA Division I Basketball all-time scoring leader Caitlin Clark was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, officially beginning her career in the WNBA. Additional selections included Stanford forward Cameron Brink, LSU forward Angel Reese and South Carolina center Kamilla Cardosa.

In the games that Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes played during the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, ESPN reported several viewership milestones and new records. Although the team did not win the National Championship, the game drew an average of 18.7 million viewers and peaked at 24 million, up 89% from the year prior when Iowa faced LSU. The women’s tournament as a whole averaged 2.2 million viewers on ESPN, ABC and ESPN2, which is more than two times the total from the year prior.

The most-viewed WNBA Draft of all time ahead of Monday’s event from the Brooklyn Academy of Music was set in 2004 when Diana Taurasi was selected first overall by the Phoenix Mercury. An average of 601,000 viewers watched the Draft during that year, making this year’s broadcast up approximately 308% from that time. Last year’s Draft averaged 512,000 viewers when Aliyah Boston was selected by the Indiana Fever with the first-overall pick. This year’s WNBA Draft, which is up 328% year-over-year, is the first time the event has surpassed 1 million viewers and is the largest audience for any WNBA event in 23 years.

ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA Draft included the lead WNBA on ESPN broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco, color commentator Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe. ESPN basketball analyst Andraya Carter also took part in the coverage, which was preceded by a live edition of WNBA Countdown featuring LaChina Robinson, Chiney Ogwumike and Carolyn Peck. Elle Duncan hosted SportsCenter live from the Brooklyn Academy of Music where Carter and Ogwumike previewed the WNBA Draft leading up to coverage on ESPN.

Last year’s WNBA Finals were the most-watched in 20 years, averaging 728,000 viewers on ESPN. A WNBA contest has not surpassed an average of 1 million viewers in 16 years, something that could change once Clark begins her career. Thirty-six of the 40 Indiana Fever games will be carried by national media platforms, eight of which are on linear channels owned by The Walt Disney Company.

The final round of the Masters on Sunday, when Scottie Scheffler took home his second green jacket, saw a 20% dip in viewership and a 5% drop in ratings compared to last year. This year’s final round only tops the two COVID-affected years of 2020 and 2021 as the lowest-rated since 1957 and the least-watched since 1993.

Part of the dip is due to the fact that last year’s final round fell on Easter Sunday, which meant a bump of 21% in out-of-home viewership. This year’s final round received only a 9% out-of-home increase.

ESPN said its numbers were up on both Thursday and Friday with Thursday being its best ratings in nine years. Friday was reportedly up 69% compared to 2023.

Sunday’s final round averaged 9.59 million viewers on CBS, according to Sports Media Watch, a decline from last year’s 12.06 million. Scheffler’s win two years ago averaged 10.17 million viewers.

ESPN presented its weekly Sunday Night Baseball matchup between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers this past Sunday from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The game featured at-bats from superstars including Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Manny Machado and a stellar pitching duel between James Paxton and Yu Darvish. ESPN viewers were also able to enjoy a mic’d-up interview with Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar, who was on the microphone during play in the bottom of the third inning. The coverage of the matchup culminated into a viewership milestone with an average audience measurement of 1.96 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

The broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball peaked at 9:30 p.m. EST with nearly 2.22 million viewers, marking the property’s most-watched game in the last six years, those featuring the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox notwithstanding.

Through the first four game broadcasts of the season, which included MLB Opening Night in Seoul, South Korea and three presentations of Sunday Night Baseball, MLB games on ESPN are averaging approximately 1.72 million viewers for the 2024 season. The metric is up 20% from the same point last season, which began with a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. Karl Ravech, Eduardo Perez, David Cone and Buster Olney have all remained on the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast team for the 2024 campaign.

Viewership for the Padres-Dodgers game was up 38% compared to last year’s Sunday Night Baseball season average, which ended with an average of 1.45 million viewers according to Sports Business Journal. Moreover, the National League West showdown was up 58% in the Persons 18-49 demographic. The Padres ended up winning the game 6-3 after overcoming a deficit in the late innings on the strength of a three-run double from the aforementioned Profar.

ESPN will broadcast the interleague matchup between the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers and National League East division champion Atlanta Braves this Sunday, April 21 at 7 p.m. EST. Additionally, ESPN was also recently nominated for a Sports Emmy Award in the category of “Outstanding Audio/Sound – Live Event” for its Sunday Night Baseball property.