WNBA Finals draw 1.5 million viewers for Thursday afternoon Game 6 - USA Today

The WNBA Finals continue to draw big audiences, even with a day game.

Game 6 of the WNBA Finals, which tipped off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 29, averaged 1.5 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms including USA Network, E! and SYFY and streaming led by Peacock, according to Nielsen. That was up 4% compared to last year’s clinching Game 4 between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury.

The Atlanta Dream defeated the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 in Game 6 to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Chase Center in San Francisco (8 p.m. ET, USA/CNBC/Peacock).

Game 6 coverage was the fifth most-watched WNBA Finals game on cable. USA Sports averaged 1.7 million viewers for Game 6 on Thursday when factoring in encore presentations on USA and CNBC in the original 8 p.m. ET broadcast window.

The WNBA playoffs have been a ratings boon overall. USA Sports had the second-most watched WNBA Finals Game 5 ever, averaging 1.4 million viewers for Monday night’s coverage across USA Sports’ linear platforms and streaming on Peacock.

USA Sports delivered the most-watched WNBA Finals Game 3 since 1999 – second-best all-time and most-watched ever on cable – averaging 1.71 million viewers.

The Las Vegas Aces’ 94-83 Game 3 win over the Indiana Fever in the first round averaged 2.3 million viewers across USA Network and CNBC to rank as the second most-watched opening round game in WNBA history.

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