• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 4 hours ago

An increasing number of viewers -- of all types -- are watching women’s sports, up 18% to 28.6 billion minutes in the first half of 2026 versus the same period the year before, according to Nielsen.

The largest viewing gain came with WNBA, up 54% to 3.8 billion minutes viewed.

This comes as the number of overall women’s sports telecasts shot up 230% to 3,363 in 2025 -- from 1,021 the year before.

Women’s league sponsorship valuations have climbed as well, says Nielsen -- up 71% for WNBA; 82% for NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League); and 51% for LPGA Golf.

In conjunction with this, 60% women's sports fans have switched brands in the process. Nielsen says this is based on a brand's values/corporate actions.

It also says among black women sports fans the number rises to 67%. This compares to 45% switch move for overall sports fans.

All this increased viewership has spilled over into other mainstream TV sports: The number of women viewers has grown 54% for the NFL during the period; 50% for Major League Baseball; and 45% for the NBA.

Nielsen says among the estimated 16 million new fans in 2025, roughly nine million were women, while seven million were men.

The biggest women sports games in 2025 included: USA Women’s Hockey gold-medal championship game, 5.3 million Nielsen-measured viewers; the U.S. Open tennis (women’s final), 2.4 million; NCAA Women’s College World Series (baseball), 2.4 million; and the 2025 WNBA Finals, a four game series which averaged 1.5 million.