WNBA franchises leaning into AI-backed platform as fan demand and engagement increases amid league expansion

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Game 1 of the 2023 WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces drew record-breaking viewership, with an average audience of 729,000, according to ESPN. 

The strong numbers come on the heels of a regular season that saw a sharp increase in fan engagement. 

Last week, the league added a new franchise for the first time in more than a decade. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the Golden State Warriors were awarded an expansion team. The franchise's inaugural season is scheduled to begin in 2025.

As the WNBA grows, more of its franchises are using artificial intelligence to power fan experiences and meet their increasing demands. The Las Vegas Aces tapped ON, formally GameON Technology, to help with AI chat via the company's enterprise-grade platform.

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An WNBA basketball during warmups between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena June 20, 2023, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

"It's been a breakthrough season for our platform and the WNBA," ON CEO and co-founder Alex Beckman told Fox News Digital. "We work with the Aces, and we're really excited to be partnering with them and powering their communication with their fans throughout this playoff run."

WHAT IS CHATGPT?

Beckman added data has shown some promising results this season.

"We've seen some amazing stats. The WNBA teams we work with have done an amazing job getting (AI) chat out there. We've seen 30% engagement click-through rates on content. So, one out of three pieces of content that are being sent to fans through chat are being open and being engaged with.

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