Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever did more than end a two-game losing streak Sunday night. They delivered a television audience the WNBA had waited nearly three decades to see again.
Indiana’s 113-90 victory over the Chicago Sky averaged 3.31 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced Wednesday in viewing figures provided to Heavy Sports.
The broadcast peaked at 3.82 million viewers and became the most-watched WNBA regular-season game since the opening weekend of the league’s inaugural 1997 season. It ranks third among all regular-season WNBA broadcasts.
That made Clark’s latest performance historic in two ways.
The Fever star finished with 37 points and 10 assists while making a career-high eight 3-pointers. Kelsey Mitchell added 30 points, giving Indiana’s backcourt 67 combined points on a night when millions were watching.
“C and Kelz, my God,” Fever coach Stephanie White said during her postgame locker-room address. “Goodness gracious. That was just some incredible shot-making, some incredible playmaking.”
White then summarized the view from Indiana’s sideline: “Sometimes, we’re just over there standing on the sidelines like, ‘Holy [expletive].’”
Fever-Sky Audience Ends 29-Year Wait
Only two regular-season WNBA games have attracted larger audiences, according to NBC Sports.
The New York Liberty’s meeting with the Los Angeles Sparks averaged 5.04 million viewers on June 21, 1997. Charlotte’s game against Phoenix drew 3.59 million the following day.
The league played 6,440 regular-season games between that Charlotte-Phoenix broadcast and Sunday’s Fever-Sky matchup.
Indiana-Chicago was also only the second Sunday primetime WNBA regular-season game shown on a broadcast network. The first came July 12, when Indiana faced the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and drew 2.64 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
That remains the season’s second-largest audience, giving the Fever the top two WNBA broadcasts of 2026.
Clark’s longstanding connection to Angel Reese helped transform Fever-Sky into appointment viewing when both entered the league in 2024. Reese now plays for the Atlanta Dream after Chicago traded her for two first-round picks, but the rivalry’s imprint on the matchup remains unmistakable.
The latest ratings also underline that Indiana’s appeal extends beyond any one opponent.
Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell Deliver a Show
The Fever gave the enormous audience a performance worthy of the stage.
Playing without injured center Aliyah Boston, Indiana trailed 51-50 at halftime before Clark and Mitchell took control. They combined for 14 of the Fever’s franchise-record 18 3-pointers.
“I think C does a good job of finding ways to get Kelsey involved,” White told reporters. “Kelsey’s one of those that sneaks up on you sometimes. You look at the end of the game, and it’s like, ‘Holy [expletive], she had 30.’”
Indiana improved to 25-14 and completed a season sweep of Chicago despite playing its third game in four nights. The victory also closed a demanding five-game trip with a 3-2 record.
NBC Sports is averaging 1.75 million viewers through seven WNBA games this season, a 35% increase from comparable coverage last year. This is the network’s first season carrying the league since 2002.
The growth belongs to a deeper WNBA talent pool, greater broadcast access and more compelling teams. But Sunday supplied another clear piece of evidence about the force at the center of the surge.
Put Clark in primetime, and viewers continue to arrive in numbers the league has rarely seen.
Caitlin Clark, Fever Deliver WNBA Record Not Seen in 29 Years