Over half a million viewers tuned into 2023 WNBA draft

The 2023 WNBA draft was a star-studded event where South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston was the No. 1 overall pick and will head to the Indiana Fever. From the orange carpet to unforgettable fashion moments, there was a lot to see.

The draft was televised on ESPN and watched by over 500,000 people. It was the most viewed draft since 2004 as viewership was up 42% year-over-year. In addition to the broadcast of the draft, there was a WNBA Draft Preview Show on April 8 hosted LaChina Robinson with analyst Rebecca Lobo.

Women’s basketball at the collegiate and professional levels is garnering more respect from broadcasting companies and thus, being given the platform it always needed. With this additional investment, the viewership is steadily increasing which in turn means higher revenues and more fans.

For instance, we need only look to women’s March Madness to see the result of increased media coverage. The championship game was televised on ABC and garnered an average of 9.9 million viewers, peaking at 12.6 million. It was the most-viewed NCAA women’s college basketball game on record across all networks.

It was the most-viewed college event ever on ESPN+ amongst all sports, men’s or women’s. The viewership was up 103% and shows that women’s basketball has been undervalued and under-resourced for years. This is only the second year the NCAA has allowed the women’s tournament to use the lucrative March Madness marks and logos.

It seems the old adage “if you build it, they will come” is the perfect way to describe this women’s basketball renaissance.

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Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire