WNBA All-Star Weekend 2024: How Brands Capitalized on the Game's Record-Breaking Audience

American Express, AT&T, Google, and more scored big ahead of a broadcast that delivered the largest audience ever for a WNBA All-Star Game.

Sarah Kloepple

July 31, 2024

American Express returned to host The Amex Experience at WNBA All-Star, an immersive experience that celebrated WNBA fandom and women’s sports. American Express worked with Momentum Worldwide to produce the activation.Photo: Mark Peterman/AP Images for American Express

PHOENIX—While some of the top players in the WNBA continue to battle it out in Paris at the Olympic Games, just a few weeks ago they were in Phoenix for the league's annual All-Star Weekend, which took place July 18-20. This year, the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game served as a pre-Olympics classic between the USA Basketball Women’s National Team and the WNBA All-Stars, who were selected through fan, player, media, and coach voting. The All-Stars earned the W in a 117-109 victory.

But what really took the headlines this year was viewership. Saturday’s broadcast of the big game was watched by an average audience of 3.4 million viewers, making it the largest audience ever for a WNBA All-Star Game. According to EPSN, viewership this year was up 305% versus last year’s game (seen by 850,000 viewers on ABC). It's another powerful stat proving that this has been a milestone year in women's sports.

And what better way to celebrate than with fan-focused live experiences? Ahead of the game on Saturday, brands like AT&T, American Express, and Google brought immersive activations to WNBA Live at the Phoenix Convention Center. Keep scrolling to see inside these experiences and others from this year's WNBA All-Star Weekend...

AT&T at WNBA Live

AT&T returned to the All-Star Weekend this year as the game's presenting sponsor. The brand's activation at WNBA Live included four main touchpoints, with player and legend meet-and-greets throughout the two-day event. AT&T produced the activation with Wasserman.

Photo: Courtesy of AT&T

One of the touchpoints: this "Cabani Manis" station. Here, guests could indulge in nail art inspired by the unique styles of WNBA players.

Photo: Courtesy of AT&T

The Splash Court Challenge was an immersive, multiplayer basketball game that let fans practice their skills like WNBA stars. Inspired by WNBA Poolside Plays, the touchpoint challenged participants to mimic the moves and shots of players like A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu.

Photo: Courtesy of AT&T

Las Vegas Aces player A'ja Wilson posed for photos with fans.

Photo: Courtesy of AT&T

Google’s Wonders of the W

Also at WNBA Live, Google's Wonders of the W activation brought to life Google Pixel’s new partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA), and the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA). The partnership is part of its ongoing effort to uplift and support women athletes across sports through community, inclusiveness, and storytelling.

Photo: Courtesy of Google

Produced with The Robot Co and NRG Experiential, the activation gave fans the opportunity to touch, see, and feel the magic of Google features through content capture, merch creation, custom digital artwork, and more.

Photo: Courtesy of Google

An Instagram-worthy moment included this Google-branded basket complemented by minimalist florals and greenery.

Photo: Courtesy of Google

The Magic Makerspace was an area of the activation where fans could customize their own pieces of merch.

Photo: Courtesy of Google

Customizable merch included these white branded basketballs.

Photo: Courtesy of Google

The Amex Experience at WNBA All-Star

Photo: Mark Peterman/AP Images for American Express

A fun photo moment included these unique basketball lights.

Photo: Mark Peterman/AP Images for American Express

The activation also featured fireside chats and meet-and-greets with WNBA stars Kahleah Copper (pictured) of the Phoenix Mercury and Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever.

Photo: Mark Peterman/AP Images for American Express

mente x TOGETHXR's All-Star Break Wellness Festival

Ahead of the big game, Latino-led mental health media company mente and female athlete-founded sports brand TOGETHXR hosted a two-day wellness festival at Lylo Swim Club, the rooftop poolside bar at Rise Uptown Hotel.

Photo: Adrian Rios for mente

The goal of the event was to refresh attendees on how self-care facilitates both mental and physical health.

Photo: Adrian Rios for mente

Interactive wellness offerings included mobile nail and makeup experiences from The Sparkle Bar; poolside facials from Epicutis (pictured); live sound baths; meditation, breathwork, and reiki sessions; as well as community pool yoga and pool barre from Desert Breeze Yoga.

Photo: Adrian Rios for mente

Branded T-shirts with the phrase "Self-care is mental health" were also on offer.

Photo: Adrian Rios for mente

Golden State Valkyries x TOGETHXR's VIP Brunch

The Golden State Valkyries and TOGETHXR hosted a VIP brunch at WNBA All-Star Weekend. The team's president, Jess Smith, and TOGETHXR co-founder Jess Robertson took the stage for a live conversation.

Photo: Courtesy of Golden State Valkyries

The Valks are the first in the league to partner with TOGETHXR on a special edition of its viral "Everyone watches women’s sports" T-shirt in the signature Valkyrie violet colorway. Actor Jason Sudeikis attended the event sporting the shirt.

Photo: Courtesy of Golden State Valkyries