or


[10/02/26 - 04:16 PM]
USA Sports' Fever-Aces Game 3 Coverage on USA Network and CNBC Averages 2.25 Million Viewers; Second-Best First Round Game on Record
Viewership of Fever-Aces on USA Network and CNBC peaked at 2.7 million viewers in the 11:15 p.m. ET quarter hour.

[via press release from USA Sports]

USA SPORTS' FEVER-ACES GAME 3 COVERAGE ON USA NETWORK AND CNBC AVERAGES 2.25 MILLION VIEWERS; SECOND-BEST FIRST ROUND GAME ON RECORD

Fever-Aces Game 3 on USA Network and CNBC is Second Most-Watched WNBA First Round Game on Record

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.

USA SPORTS' 2026 WNBA FINALS SCHEDULE
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
*if necessary

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.

-USA SPORTS-





  [october 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[10/23/26 - 03:54 PM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Wednesday Delivered Its Second-Largest Audience Ever
The Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Miami Heat averaged 2.52 million viewers, up 16% from last year's comparable game.

[10/23/26 - 03:25 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 3 Since 1999, Best Ever on Cable
1.71 million viewers on average tuned into Wednesday night's Game 3 coverage across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network and CNBC) and streaming on Peacock.

[10/23/26 - 08:30 AM]
Record College Football Viewership Propels ESPN to Second Best Start Since 2011 with "College GameDay" on Track for Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks are averaging 2.2 million viewers across 120 games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU - the second-best start for ESPN since 2011.

[10/22/26 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Friday Night, Sunday Morning and Late-Night
"20/20: The Suitcase Murders" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/22/26 - 04:00 PM]
CBS Dominates Its Premiere Week in Seven-Day Multiplatform Viewership, Up +14% from Last Year, with Six Series Topping 10 Million Viewers
Among its broadcast competition, CBS claimed eight of the top 10 series.

[10/22/26 - 02:50 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched NBA Tip-Off Primetime Game Ever with 76ers-Knicks
Viewership peaked at 9.1 million - an NBA Tip-Off record - from 9:45-10:00 pm ET as the 76ers clinched the victory.

[10/22/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Waltzes to Season High During Heartfelt "Dedication Night" with 7.36 Million Total Viewers
The October 20 episode hit a season high with the show's best non-finale episode in six years.

[10/21/26 - 04:01 PM]
USA Sports' Coverage of Dream-Valkyries Game 2 Is Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 2 Ever on Cable
Monday night's coverage averaged 1.33 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network, CNBC and E!).

[10/21/26 - 03:15 PM]
It's Back to School at "Abbott Elementary" as Show Returns with Over 6 Million Total Viewers
The premiere episode scored the show's best streaming performance since Season 4, based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[10/21/26 - 02:31 PM]
Commanders-49ers on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 17.9 Million Viewers
Six weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 23% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19 million viewers.

[10/21/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 12
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.

[10/21/26 - 06:39 AM]
NFL Network's London Slate Culminates with 6.4M Viewers for Jaguars-Texans
Season to date, through three games in London, NFL Network is averaging 6.9M viewers, up 15% vs. the network's six-game International Series average last season.

[10/21/26 - 06:30 AM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 1 Ever
Led by Gabby Williams' 26 points, Golden State's 68-64 win over Atlanta peaked at 3.0 million viewers for the game's exciting conclusion from 5:45 - 5:55 p.m. ET.

[10/20/26 - 03:19 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Delivers Its Third Most-Watched Regular-Season Episode Ever from BYU
ESPN networks had 3 of the top 4 games this week, the second most-watched regular season Saturday on record (based on minutes).

[10/20/26 - 03:08 PM]
Ohio State's Win Over Indiana Scores Most-Watched College Football Game of the Week
Viewership peaked at 14,269,000 viewers from 3:30-3:45 PM ET on FOX.