Overview
- Opening-week TV audiences fell sharply year over year, with 175,000 viewers for the Jan. 5 TNT/truTV doubleheader and just 32,000 for truTV-only games, followed by 139,000 on Jan. 9 and 71,000 averages on Jan. 10–11 on truTV.
- The Jan. 30 doubleheader at Philadelphia’s 21,000-seat Xfinity Mobile Arena is sold out, marking Unrivaled’s largest venue to date after early games at the 1,000-seat home arena showed empty seats.
- League-provided metrics tout growth, including a reported path to more than $40 million in Season 2 revenue and merchandise gains over 50% from last year, alongside strong partner renewals.
- Caitlin Clark declined to participate again this season, Sabrina Ionescu was ruled out of on-court activities due to injury, and other Year 1 headliners such as Angel Reese and Jewell Loyd did not return.
- Unrivaled’s six-year TNT/truTV rights deal includes a three-year opt-out and network equity, heightening the importance of building TV traction as games also stream on HBO Max outside Nielsen measurement.