{
  "id": 3548036,
  "title": "Fever-Sky averages 3.31M viewers, most-watched regular-season WNBA game since 1997",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/fever-sky-averages-3-31m-viewers-most-watched-regular-season-wnba",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T16:54:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/basketball/2026/08/26/fever-sky-averages-3-31m-viewers-most-watched-regular-season-wnba-game-since-1997"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky game on Sunday drew an average of 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched regular-season WNBA game since the league's start in 1997. This marks the second consecutive week the Fever have set a league record for viewership. The match also secured the third-most watched regular-season game ever, peaking at 3.82 million viewers. Only the June 21-22, 1997 opening weekend games between the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks (5.04 million) and Charlotte Sting and Phoenix Mercury (3.59 million) have higher ratings, both on NBC. Fever star Caitlin Clark and the team set all-time viewing records this season for games on CBS, ESPN and Amazon Prime Video. Against the Sky, Clark achieved a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 37 points in the Fever's 113-90 win. Kelsey Mitchell contributed 30 points. This game was the first since Chicago's DiJonai Carrington fouled Indiana's Sophie Cunningham on a breakaway in the Fever's 90-86 win on August 8. Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul. There were no such incidents in the rematch. However, controversy arose when former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom, who attended as a spectator, was ejected in the third quarter for exchanging words with the Sky's Natasha Cloud. Freedom has since been banned from Sky home games.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Enes Kanter Freedom ejected from WNBA game after confrontation with player",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/enes-kanter-freedom-ejected-from-wnba-game-after-confrontation-with",
        "published": "2026-08-24T12:45:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Toronto Sun",
        "title": "Enes Kanter Freedom ejected after heated exchange with WNBA star: Here’s what was said",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/enes-kanter-freedom-ejected-after-heated-exchange-with-wnba-star",
        "published": "2026-08-24T15:25:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for the WNBA draft, AP source says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/enes-kanter-freedom-and-royce-white-are-not-eligible-for-the-wnba-3123573",
        "published": "2026-08-24T22:01:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for the WNBA draft, AP source says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/enes-kanter-freedom-and-royce-white-are-not-eligible-for-the-wnba",
        "published": "2026-08-24T22:02:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for the WNBA draft, AP source says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/enes-kanter-freedom-and-royce-white-are-not-eligible-for-the-wnba-3126060",
        "published": "2026-08-24T22:23:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}