The WNBA has secured the top spot for online search growth with a massive 140% increase in 2025, according to the latest Redtorch report. Despite star player Caitlin Clark missing significant time due to injury, the league’s performance underscores a major shift in fan attention toward innovative, fast-paced, and digitally native sports formats.
The SportOnSocial Global Sports Properties report reveals that “quantity” is losing ground to “quality and speed.” While traditional sports models face stagnation, short-form and innovation-led properties like the World Endurance Championship (WEC), Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS), and SailGP saw search interest rise by 108%, 106%, and 84%, respectively. These formats succeed by blending high-intensity competition with simple global distribution and social-first content that targets younger audiences.
In the world of combat sports, ONE Championship jumped 17 places to 5th overall, following its strategic broadcast deal with Amazon Prime Video. Similarly, the UFC climbed 21 places to 18th. According to Jess Reus, Redtorch’s Head of Communications, the demand for women’s sport and fast-paced formats is now “durable,” proving that success no longer depends on individual star moments but on consistent accessibility and cultural relevance.