10/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2026 17:28
Game Peaked at 2.7 Million Viewers in 11:15 p.m. ET Quarter Hour
Viewership Up 93% vs. Fever's 2025 First Round Game 3, Up 152% vs. Comparable Game in 2025
The 2026 WNBA Finals Are On USA Network! Up to 5 WNBA Finals Games (2-3, 5-7 If Necessary) Live on USA Network with Live Simulcasts on CNBC
STAMFORD, Conn. - Oct. 2, 2026 - USA Sports' Game 3 coverage of the Las Vegas Aces' 94-83 win over the Indiana Fever averaged 2.25 million viewers across USA Network and CNBC to rank as the second most-watched First Round game in WNBA history, based on Nielsen panel-only data.
Viewership of Fever-Aces on USA Network and CNBC peaked at 2.7 million viewers in the 11:15 p.m. ET quarter hour, as A'Ja Wilson and the Aces pulled away from Caitlin Clark and the Fever to advance to the Semifinals of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Additional viewership notes:
Fever-Aces Game 3 trailed only IND-CONN Game 2 in 2024 (2.54 million, ESPN) as the most-watched WNBA first round game on record, ranks as the third most-watched playoff game (excl. Finals) on record, and the fourth most-watched WNBA game ever across cable or streaming;
Viewership across USA Network and CNBC was up 152% vs. the comparable first round Game 3 window in 2025 (LV-SEA, 892K on ESPN2) and up 93% vs. the Fever's first round Game 3 vs. Atlanta in 2025 (1.2 million on ESPN2).
This is USA Sports' second WNBA playoff game of the week to eclipse 1 million viewers - the New York Liberty's Game 2 win over the Minnesota Lynx averaged 1.06 million viewers (BDN) - and USA Sports' 7th game of the season (regular season and playoffs) to average more than 1 million viewers.
Following its record-setting first round coverage, USA Sports will present up to five 2026 WNBA Finals games, with Game 2-3 and Games 5-7, if necessary, on USA Network and simulcast on CNBC. Below is USA Sports' 2026 WNBA Finals schedule.
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USA SPORTS' 2026 WNBA FINALS SCHEDULE |
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DATE |
GAME |
NETWORK |
| Mon., October 19 |
WNBA Finals Game 2 |
USA Network/CNBC |
| Thurs., October 22 |
WNBA Finals Game 3 |
USA Network/CNBC |
| Mon., October 26 |
WNBA Finals Game 5* |
USA Network/CNBC |
| Thurs., October 29 |
WNBA Finals Game 6* |
USA Network/CNBC |
| Sat., October 31 |
WNBA Finals Game 7* |
USA Network/CNBC |
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*if necessary |
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Last year, USA Sports and the WNBA announced an 11-year media rights agreement for USA Network to present WNBA games - including the regular-season and portions of the Playoffs and WNBA Finals in select years - beginning with the 2026 season.
As part of the multi-year agreement which runs through 2036, USA Sports will present at least 50 WNBA games annually on USA Network, including coverage of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel and WNBA Finals games in select years beginning this year.
About USA Sports
USA Sports is home to premier sporting events across USA Network, Golf Channel, CNBC, and Fandango, throughout the calendar year, including NASCAR, PGA TOUR, Premier League, Bundesliga, WWE, WNBA, Pac-12 Football and Basketball, USGA, R&A, LPGA Tour, PGA of America, Atlantic 10 Basketball, DP World Tour, Augusta National, League One Volleyball (LOVB), and more. Golf Channel - the first-ever single-sport cable network which was founded in 1995 - delivers comprehensive live golf tournament, studio and shoulder programming and is the television home of the sport and industry in the United States. USA Sports is a division of Versant (Nasdaq: VSNT), an industry-changing media and entertainment business with a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, along with digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and Full Swing.