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2018 Regular Season Earns 35% Audience Increase Over Last Year, Most-Viewed on ESPN2 Since 2014
ESPN’s live presentation of every game of the 2018 WNBA Playoffs will begin tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 21, with a first-round, single-elimination doubleheader on ESPN2. Skylar Diggins-Smith and the Dallas Wings will visit Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury at 8:30 p.m. ET, followed by the defending WNBA Champions Minnesota Lynx and Maya Moore visiting last season’s runner-ups Los Angeles Sparks and Candace Parker at 10:30 p.m. Commentator Pam Ward, analyst Kara Lawson and reporter LaChina Robinson will call the early game, with play-by-play commentator Ryan Ruocco, analyst Rebecca Lobo and reporter Holly Rowe calling the second tilt.
The semifinals will tip-off Sunday, Aug. 26, with No. 1-seeds Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm facing off against the winners of Thursday’s games. Every game of this year’s postseason will air on the ESPN networks. Additional highlights:
- Coaches will be mic’d up during the first and second rounds and semifinals of the Playoffs, while coaches and select players will be mic’d up during The Finals.
- The 2018 WNBA Draft Lottery will air at halftime during ESPN2’s Playoffs coverage on Tuesday, Aug. 28. The Draft Lottery will be hosted by Kevin Connors from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters.
Also, espnW.com will supplement ESPN’s production with comprehensive live coverage and analysis throughout the WNBA postseason by Mechelle Voepel.
2018 WNBA Regular Season Viewership Grows
The action-packed 2018 WNBA season saw a 35% viewership increase over last year (231,000 vs. 171,000), and it was the most-viewed season on ESPN2 since 2014. The Western Conference battle between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Seattle Storm on June 28, garnered an audience of 382,000, making it the most-watched regular-season game on ESPN2 since 2013. This year’s regular-season schedule on ESPN2 featured at least one previous WNBA MVP in every game, and 11 games showcased at least one former No. 1-overall pick.
Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Game / Commentators | Network |
| Tue, Aug 21 | 8:30 p.m. | First Round: Dallas Wings at Phoenix Mercury Pam Ward, Kara Lawson, LaChina Robinson |
ESPN2 |
| 10:30 p.m. | First Round: Minnesota Lynx at Los Angeles Sparks Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe |
ESPN2 | |
| Thu, Aug 23 | 6:30 p.m. | Second Round: TBD at Washington Mystics |
ESPN2 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Second Round: TBD at Connecticut Sun |
ESPN2 | |
| Sun, Aug 26 | 3 p.m. | Semifinals, Game 1: TBD at Atlanta Dream |
ESPN2 |
| 5 p.m. | Semifinals, Game 2: TBD at Seattle Storm |
ESPN2 | |
| Tue, Aug 28 | 8 p.m. | Semifinals, Game 2: TBD at Atlanta Dream |
ESPN2 |
| 10 p.m. | Semifinals, Game 2: TBD at Seattle Storm |
ESPN2 | |
| Fri, Aug 31 | TBD | Semifinals, Game 3 Atlanta Dream at TBD |
ESPNEWS |
| TBD | Semifinals, Game 3 Seattle Storm at TBD |
ESPNEWS | |
| Sun, Sep 2 | TBD | Semifinals, Game 4* | ESPN2 |
| TBD | Semifinals, Game 4* | ESPN2 | |
| Tue, Sep 4 | TBD | Semifinals, Game 5* | ESPN2 |
| TBD | Semifinals, Game 5* | ESPNEWS |
* If necessary
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