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WED · 2026-08-26 · 18:23 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0826-106238
News/Fever-Sky averages 3.31M viewers, most-watched regular-seaso…
NSR-2026-0826-106238News Report·EN·Human Interest

Fever-Sky averages 3.31M viewers, most-watched regular-season WNBA game since 1997

The Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky WNBA game on Sunday averaged 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched regular-season WNBA game since 1997 and the third-most watched regular-season game ever.

By  THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAssociated Press (AP)Filed 2026-08-26 · 18:23 GMTLean · CenterRead · 2 min
Fever-Sky averages 3.31M viewers, most-watched regular-season WNBA game since 1997
Associated Press (AP)FIG 01
Reading time
2min
Word count
487words
Sources cited
0cited
Entities identified
12entities
Quality score
100%
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Briefing Summary

AI-generated
NEWSAR · AI

The Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky WNBA game on Sunday averaged 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched regular-season WNBA game since 1997 and the third-most watched regular-season game ever. This viewership peak of 3.82 million highlights the continued draw of Caitlin Clark and the Fever, who have set multiple viewing records this season. In the game, Clark scored 37 points with a career-high eight 3-pointers, leading the Fever to a 113-90 victory. The match also saw former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom ejected after an exchange with Sky player Natasha Cloud, resulting in Freedom being banned from future Sky home games.

Confidence 0.90Claims 4Entities 12
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Article analysis

Model · rule-based
Framing
Human Interest
Economic Impact
Tone
Measured
AI-assessed
CalmNeutralAlarmist
Factuality
0.90 / 1.00
Factual
LowHigh
Sources cited
0
No named sources
FewMany
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Key claims

4 extracted
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Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from the game and subsequently banned from Sky home games.

factual
Confidence
1.00
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Caitlin Clark scored 37 points and made a career-high eight 3-pointers in the Fever's victory.

statistic
Confidence
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This game was the most-watched regular-season WNBA game since the league's inaugural season in 1997.

statistic
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The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game averaged 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

statistic
Confidence
1.00
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Full report

2 min read · 487 words
Fever-Sky averages 3.31M viewers, most-watched regular-season WNBA game since 1997 1 of 2 | Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud, right, drives against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) 2 of 2 | Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, left, celebrates with guard Raven Johnson after the Feaver defeated the Chicago Sky in a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) 1 of 2 | Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud, right, drives against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) 1 of 2 Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud, right, drives against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 2 | Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, left, celebrates with guard Raven Johnson after the Feaver defeated the Chicago Sky in a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) 2 of 2 Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, left, celebrates with guard Raven Johnson after the Feaver defeated the Chicago Sky in a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game Sunday averaged 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock to make it the most-watched regular-season WNBA game since the league’s inaugural season in 1997.It also was the third-most watched regular-season game ever and peaked at 3.82 million viewers. That is behind only the June 21-22, 1997 opening weekend games that featured the New York Liberty-Los Angeles Sparks (5.04 million) and Charlotte Sting-Phoenix Mercury (3.59 million), also both on NBC.Caitlin Clark and the Fever continue to be the league’s top draw. They also have set all-time viewing records this season for games on CBS, ESPN and Amazon Prime Video.Against the Sky, Clark made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 37 points in the Fever’s 113-90 victory. Teammate Kelsey Mitchell added 30.That game was the first meeting since Chicago’s DiJonai Carrington fouled Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham on a breakaway in the Fever’s 90-86 victory on Aug. 8. Carrington was ejected for the Flagrant 2 foul. There were no such incidents between the two in the rematch.But there was controversy. Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom attended as a spectator and was ejected in the third quarter after he and the Sky’s Natasha Cloud exchanged words. Freedom has since been banned from Sky home games.___See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
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Entities

12 identified
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Keywords & salience

10 terms
caitlin clark
1.00
wnba viewership
1.00
indiana fever
0.90
chicago sky
0.90
most-watched game
0.80
regular-season record
0.70
viewing records
0.60
nbc
0.50
peacock
0.50
basketball game
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