A couple days before Sunday's Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Patricia Babcock McGraw of the Daily Herald wrote that, "...trying to stage its marquee event during the middle of football season is unfortunate, at best."
Yet despite airing during Sunday Night Football and the MLB Playoffs, a WNBA release reports an increase in viewership compared to last year's disappointing Game 1 viewership.
On a highly competitive sports day (Sunday, Oct. 6), Game 1 of the 2013 WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and the Atlanta Dream on ESPN delivered double digits increases in viewership, up 14% over Game 1 of the 2012 WNBA Finals on ESPN2 between the Indiana Fever and the Lynx (391,000 vs. 343,000).
The Houston Chronicle (via Sports Media Watch) had previously reported that Game 1 received the second-lowest overnight rating of the day (0.4).
For a full schedule of the WNBA Finals, check out the schedule post in our storystream.