Wings vs. Fever draws 2.5 million

ESPN said on May 13 that the Dallas Wings’ 107-104 win over the Indiana Fever on May 9 averaged 2.5 million viewers on ABC, putting the opener among the biggest WNBA regular-season audiences the network group has recorded. The network said the game became the second most-watched WNBA regular-season telecast across ESPN networks ever, based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel. The audience figure was released as the league opened its 2026 season with a national window built around Indiana and Dallas. The matchup featured Caitlin Clark for Indiana and Paige Bueckers for Dallas in the first game of ABC’s opening-weekend doubleheader. ### Which game drew the 2.5 million viewers? The May 9 game at Indiana was the Dallas Wings’ 107-104 victory over the Fever, according to ESPN’s schedule page and the network’s May 13 release. ESPN said the 1 p.m. ET broadcast on ABC averaged 2.5 million viewers. (espnpressroom.com) ESPN identified the telecast as Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever and said the audience measurement came from Nielsen Big Data + Panel. The company said the game ranks as the second most-watched WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks ever. (espnpressroom.com) ### How did ESPN describe the broader opening weekend audience? ABC’s Saturday opening-weekend doubleheader averaged 1.9 million viewers, ESPN said in the same release. The company called that the second most-watched WNBA Opening Weekend across ESPN networks ever. (espnpressroom.com) ESPN also said “WNBA Countdown” at 12:30 p.m. ET averaged 956,000 viewers, up 19% from last year’s season-debut episode and up 40% from last season’s regular-season average on ABC. The in-between-games edition of “WNBA Countdown” averaged 1.5 million viewers from 3:23 p.m. to 3:48 p.m. ET, the release said. (espnpressroom.com) ### Where does this game rank in ESPN’s WNBA history? ESPN said Wings-Fever was the third most-watched WNBA game overall across ESPN networks when regular season and postseason games are combined. The company said only Sky-Fever on opening weekend in 2025, at 2.7 million viewers, and Fever-Sun Round 1 Game 2 on Sept. 25, 2024, at 2.54 million, drew larger audiences on its networks. (espnpressroom.com) The same release drew a narrower distinction for regular-season games only. On that measure, ESPN said the May 9 telecast was second all-time across its networks. ### Who played in the opener and what happened on the court? (espnpressroom.com) Dallas opened its season with a road win over Indiana on May 9, and ESPN’s schedule page lists the final score as 107-104. The page shows Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 22 points, while Kelsey Mitchell scored 30 for Indiana. The opener put two of the league’s most visible young guards in the same national window. (espnpressroom.com) ESPN’s release did not attribute the ratings to any one player, but the broadcast centered on the Fever and Wings to start the season. (espn.com) ### What comes next on the schedule? ESPN’s schedule page shows Indiana hosted Washington on May 15 in an ION telecast, part of the next slate of regular-season games after opening weekend. The same page lists additional national windows across USA Network, Prime Video and ION as the 2026 season continues. May 2026 games remain listed on ESPN’s schedule page by date, matchup and television outlet. (espnpressroom.com) That page is where upcoming Fever, Wings and league-wide national broadcasts are posted as the season moves forward. (espn.com)