The TV and streaming ratings for Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries were released on Wednesday, and the results were impressive.
The game drew 2.1 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, which made it the most-watched WNBA Finals Game 1 ever. It also marked an 11% increase from last year's WNBA Finals, which was between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury.
As much of a win as this year's Finals Game 1 ratings is (and it is undoubtedly a win), it still comes up short to what the Indiana Fever produced earlier in the postseason.
Game 1 of the Fever and Aces' first-round series drew 2.11 million viewers on ABC, which means it barely edged out Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
Yet, postseason opening game barely cracked the top ten for the most-watched WNBA games this season.
It took the No. 10 spot, which means that Game 1 of the WNBA Finals fell outside of the top 10. As for the nine most-watched games above it? Eight of them included the Fever, which Outkick's Dan Zaksheske indicated with an X post on Wednesday.
— Dan Zaksheske (@RealDanZak) October 21, 2026Game 1 of the WNBA Finals averaged 2.1 million viewers, which is a great number for the WNBA.
It was the league’s 11th most-watched game this season.
All 10 games ahead of it featured the Indiana Fever. pic.twitter.com/26qLcamdQt
These staggering viewership numbers, combined with the Game 1 comparison between the WNBA Finals and that Aces-Fever first-round series, further prove the Fever's supremacy in drawing eyeballs and interest.
But Indiana fans already knew that.
How the Rest of the WNBA Finals Ratings Might Compare to the Fever-Aces First-Round Series
Ratings for Monday's Game 2 WNBA Finals matchup haven't been released yet. When they do, it will be interesting to see how they compare to Game 2 of that Fever-Aces series, which averaged 1.42 million on Amazon Prime Video.
It's safe to assume that when the Game 2 WNBA Finals ratings do come out, it will be a considerable dip from Game 1, just like Indiana and Las Vegas' series.
The most-watched game of the Aces and the Fever's series was the winner-take-all Game 3 contest, which averaged 2.25 million viewers and peaked at 2.7 million viewers on USA Network. It will be interesting to see whether any of the WNBA Finals games can match up to that.
In the meantime, Fever fans can take solace in their squad being the league's best when it comes to ratings. Then again, they'd instead prefer to be the league's best when it comes to their on-court success.
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