The Unrivaled basketball league kicked off its highly anticipated season with quite a bang.
Unrivaled reportedly sold out its 870-seat arena on opening night on Friday at Mediapro Center in Miami, Florida as fans flocked to see what the unprecedented 3-on-3 league had to offer. As it turns out, however, Unrivaled did even better in terms of its TV viewership.
On Tuesday, TNT Sports took to social media to make a historic announcement about the reception the new league had from basketball fans. According to TNT Sports, the double-header on Friday was the most-watched women's basketball game in the network's history.
Opening night of @Unrivaledwbb delivered strong viewership and engagement across TNT Sports platforms:
— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) January 21, 2025
Most watched WBB games on TNT Sports platforms ever
WBB viewership record for @SportsonMax
31m views of Unrivaled content across @BleacherReport platforms
More ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/HOXR6vFFhw
The announcement also revealed that the two opening games averaged 313,000 and 311,000 viewers, respectively. On top of that, Unrivaled's content across Bleacher Report's multiple platforms brought in a whopping 31 million views during opening week.
At this point, to say that Unrivaled has delivered unprecedented success on its opening weekend would be an understatement.
The opening game featured Unrivaled's two founders, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, go head-to-head. Collier, the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, led the Lunar Owls with 27 points and 10 rebounds as they took down the Mist, 84-80.
The second game of the evening saw Angel Reese's (10 points, 12 rebounds) Rose succumb to the Vinyl, 79-73, with Rhyne Howard leading the Vinyl with a 33-point explosion.
Unrivaled will be back in action on Friday with another double-header that will once again be televised on TNT.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!