That’s according to a news release from Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which broadcast the game on its regional media platform.

Tuesday’s game was the most watched regular season broadcast since at least the start of the 2021 season, Monumental said, and outperformed CBS by 104% and ESPN by 48% in the D.C. market during the game.

Monumental didn’t provide viewership figures but said they outperformed last year’s most-viewed game — against the Las Vegas Aces — by 131%.

“Our network is proud to be the top innovator for regional WNBA coverage, and we are thrilled to see that the quality of our programming is resonating with D.C.-area fans and meeting this moment of increased popularity for the league,” said Zach Leonsis, with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, in a news release. “We’re looking forward to a summer filled with exciting live broadcasts and other creative Mystics content on our platform and for the fans”

The high viewership for the Mystics comes amid intense interest in the WNBA fueled by an influx of new talent into the league, such as Caitlin Clark, who recently signed on to the Indiana Fever, and Angel Reese, who signed for the Chicago Sky.

Clark’s WNBA debut earlier this week broadcast on ESPN scored the highest viewership on the network for a WNBA game, besting a 20-year-old record.

Citing unprecedented demand for tickets, the Mystics have moved a handful of games — including a June 6 matchup against the Chicago Sky and a June 7 matchup against the Indiana Fever — from their home venue, the Entertainment and Sports Arena, to Capital One Arena.

The ESA has up to 4,200 seats but Capital One Arena seats 20,000.

Overall, 32 of the team’s 40 regular season games will air on Monumental, which is available regionally from Delaware to Richmond, Virginia.

Games will be broadcast nationally on CBS, ESPN, and ION Television.

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General Manager Paul Wiedefeld and Metro Board Chairman Paul Smedberg made the decision this month to keep trains running on Metro’s own dime for Nationals and Mystics playoff games, and the Metro Board is scheduled to approve the change permanently at a special meeting Thursday morning.

Initially, the board will put $1 million toward running either a greater number of trains or later service during “major events of regional significance” in the current budget year.

The governments of D.C., Maryland and local governments in Northern Virginia will be responsible for the additional costs, unless Metro finishes the budget year on June 30, 2020 under its planned operating budget.

Wiedefeld plans to include $3 million to $5 million in the budget proposal he will present to the Metro Board next month. The proposal is also expected to include significant changes to bus service, potential improvements in rail service, additional marketing and a continued push of unlimited ride passes.

Playoff service details

Under the resolution to be approved Thursday, it would be up to Wiedefeld to decide which events qualify for the free additional service and which events, if any, would have to pay for extra service hours.

The documents supporting the resolution specifically (and solely) cite professional sports playoff games as the types of events for which Metro would cover extended service.

The plan would continue rail service from the station closest to the stadium or arena until 20 minutes after a postseason game, with the proviso that there could be a “cut off time” set for baseball games that could see extra innings stretch on for hours.

Under current policy, Metro charges a $100,000 per hour deposit for additional service, with events like marathons getting reimbursed for the fares paid during any additional service hours.

The rules have led to standoffs and scrambles to find sponsors to cover the deposit when teams or organizations declined to pay, including during the Washington Capitals run to a Stanley Cup title. Uber and the government of Qatar were among those footing the bill then, and the Capitals’ parent organization traded Metro the use of Capital One Arena for additional service.

In addition to cost concerns, Metro has cited maintenance schedules as another reason to limit additional rail service.

The changes would only focus on specific events and the several thousand people who would use the system for the events. This proposal does not address the 2017 hours cuts that affect all stations across the system.

Other actions Thursday

The Metro Board is set to approve additional legal fees Thursday for current Board Chairman Paul Smedberg due to his role in the investigations into former Board Chairman Jack Evans.

Smedberg is due to be interviewed by Metro’s Office of Inspector General as part of a new review of the ethics probe of Evans, that eventually led to Evans resigning from the board in June. Evans remains under federal investigation, and the D.C. Council is expected Tuesday to advance its
probe.

Smedberg is also scheduled to testify at an Oct. 22 House oversight Subcommittee of Government Operations hearing on Capitol Hill about Metro issues and the Evans probe.

According to a draft resolution, the Metro Board plans to pay “reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses in connection with the Congressional-directed investigation by the WMATA Inspector General of the WMATA Board Ethics Committee’s investigation of Mr. Jack Evans and in connection with Mr. Smedberg’s testimony before the House Subcommittee on Government
°ż±č±đ°ů˛ąłŮľ±´Ç˛Ô˛ő.”

The board has already approved similar legal fees for former Ethics Committee Chair Clarence Crawford and a third member of the committee, David Horner, after they were subpoenaed by a grand jury.

Technically, the action is referred to as indemnification.

The Metro Board indemnified the state of Maryland last month as part of a deal to release more than $40 million in dedicated funding from the state, and plans to approve a similar indemnification for the District on Thursday.

The board also is scheduled to be briefed Thursday at a special Safety and Operations Committee meeting about Monday’s train crash between Foggy Bottom and Farragut West.

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The D.C. government is nearing a deal to build a practice facility for the Washington Wizards in southeast Washington.

The $56 million complex also would serve as the home arena for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. Both teams currently play and practice at Verizon Center downtown.

The board of Events DC voted on Monday to approve spending up to $32.5 million to build the facility. Events DC is the city’s quasi-public stadium authority. It would own the complex and lease it to Wizards and Mystics owner Ted Leonsis through his company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment.

The facility would be built on the east campus of St. Elizabeths, which was formerly the site of a mental hospital. The District government owns the land, which has long been slated for redevelopment.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says the facility would also include an entertainment complex that could bring sports, arts and cultural events to the campus.

Though the District would shoulder most of the cost, Bowser calls it a “good deal” that could spark development similar to what now surrounds Verizon Center and Nationals Park.

“Now, it’s Ward 8’s turn to have a significant city investment that will change the game for this campus,” she says.

Â鶹ąŮÍř’s Andrew Mollenbeck contributed to this report.

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