Unrivaled entered 2026 aiming to build on the momentum it established in 2025, when its debut season delivered strong early results. However, the league’s second season has struggled to maintain that traction. While competition from NFL Wild Card games was expected to impact viewership, the sharp drop in ratings has exceeded projections and triggered serious concern within the league.
A post on X highlighted the league’s viewership struggles, noting that Unrivaled’s two games on Friday, Jan. 23, drew modest numbers.
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“20,000 and 30,000 est viewers. I believe this is for the 18-49 demographic. This is bad, bad. Imo WNBA and the hype around it and players have nose dived,” the caption of the post read. “I guess when new fans come u should welcome them instead of treating them like u did.”
The Mist vs. Rose matchup averaged around 20,000 viewers on TNT, while Phantom vs. Vinyl attracted roughly 30,000 on TruTV, figures that fall well short of expectations.
There have been concerns around the league’s viewership ever since the first game of the season. The inaugural game between Mist and Hive attracted just 175,000 on average as compared to 3,12,000 last year. Since the first game, viewership has been in steep decline, with the latest numbers showing 20,000-30,000 viewers.
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The absence of star players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese played a big role in this sharp decline in viewership. Although young prodigies such as Paige Bueckers are competing in the tournament, the 3-0n-3 tournament isn’t the same without global stars. The league has consistently addressed these struggles and has tried several ideas, but nothing seems to work in this market.
On Jan. 21, the league also announced a $300,000 prize pool for its 1-on-1 tournament to bring in more eyeballs. However, for now, nothing is going in Unrivaled’s favor as viewership continues to tumble. Amid this concerning decline in Unrivaled’s viewership, fans have expressed their reactions to its possible reasons and the sustainability of the league.
Fans Highlight Concerning Reasons For Unrivaled’s Sharp Decline in Viewership
The fans were quick to highlight the absence of marquee players like Caitlin Clark as a possible cause of Unrivaled’s low viewership. “It’s because CC not playing, no one cares,” a fan commented on the post. There’s absolutely no reason to decline it as a possible reason, as Clark’s impact on basketball viewership is undeniable.
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Caitlin Clark’s 2024 arrival in the WNBA caused a historic surge in popularity, characterized by a 300% increase in TV ratings and a 48% spike in league-wide attendance, marking the highest in two decades. She drew 33.5% of the total WNBA attendance in 2024, driving an 87% increase in opponent home attendance.
Naturally, Unrivaled also approached Clark to participate in Unrivaled’s second season with a lucrative offer. While the financial details haven’t been reported in the media, reports suggest it offered a handsome salary with revenue sharing. However, Clark chose not to participate in the league to focus on her fitness after an injury-plagued WNBA season.
“Yeah that’s scary.. I wonder how long their contract with TNT is for? I know they are regretting getting involved with unrivaled,” another fan commented.
If reports are to be believed, Unrivaled signed a 6-year, $100 million deal in associated revenue with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) for its games to appear on TNT and truTV’s linear channels and on the Max streaming service.
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Although there are reports of other financial contingencies associated with the deal, the parent company of TNT, Discovery, also has a clause that allows it to distance itself from the deal after three years. Thus, the decline is a significant setback for their broadcasting deal with TNT, signaling significant concern for them.
Credits: Imagn
“The whole CBA thing is hurting their league. People SHOULD be focused on the WNBA right now, with the free agency signing, schedules, and contracts. But nobody even knows where any of these players are going to be playing at, and they themselves have killed the momentum they had,” a fan commented.
While a section remains busy in Unrivaled, the uncertainty around the WNBA is growing immensely. The WNBA-CBA hasn’t been reached, and league business has paused. The free agency signing period for teams has also been halted, leaving many players, including A’ja Wilson, unsure about their teams’ next season. Amid the difficult situation surrounding the WNBA, the craze for Unrivaled has definitely taken a back seat.
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“The future of alternate WNBA leagues is definitely not Unrivalled. Project B has far more chance of succeeding than this,” a fan stated. “Their views have already plummeted since last season. Imo, that either explanation is that the market is not satisfied with the product,” another one chimed in.
Unrivaled was formed with the idea of building a parallel women’s basketball league to the WNBA. The growth of other leagues, such as Project B, set to start next year, is a threat to Unrivaled’s very core of being the exclusive league besides the WNBA.
Notably, several top players, including Alyssa Thomas and Kelsey Mitchell, have joined the upcoming Project B. It suggests they won’t return to the Unrivaled next year, meaning the 3-on-3 competition is also losing players to its rivals. In the absence of top players like Clark, Angel Reese, or Thomas, the league will automatically lose its edge over other sporting leagues.
Thus, the league’s owners, including Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, have a significant job on their hands to make the 3-on-3 tournament attractive. The league’s priority should be bringing in more stars. The players will bring their fan bases to Unrivaled. However, to achieve it, the league will have to take necessary steps, which can be through finances or external endeavors. If these concerns go unaddressed, they can pose a significant threat to the league’s sustainability.
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