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South Carolina’s Victory in Women’s NCAA Championship Draws Massive TV Audience
South Carolina’s triumph over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in Sunday’s women’s NCAA championship game captured the attention of millions of viewers, drawing a preliminary audience average of 18.7 million on ABC and ESPN. This significant viewership places the event among the most-watched sporting events in the United States since 2019, alongside football, the World Cup, and the Olympics.
The audience numbers are anticipated to rise further upon the release of Nielsen’s final numbers on Tuesday. According to Nielsen, the audience reached a peak of 24 million viewers, solidifying this game as the most-watched basketball match since 2019, when the men’s NCAA title game between Virginia and Texas Tech garnered an average of 19.6 million viewers on CBS.
Record-Breaking Viewership for Women’s Basketball
Caitlin Clark and Iowa have consistently attracted massive audiences for women’s basketball. In the lead-up to the championship game, the Hawkeyes’ victory over UConn on Friday night captured an impressive 14.2 million viewers, followed by their triumph over LSU on April 1st in the Elite Eight, which drew a viewership of 12.3 million. These numbers underscore the growing popularity and appeal of women’s basketball among viewers.
Compared to last year, the audience for the national title game witnessed a staggering 89% increase, reflecting the heightened interest and excitement surrounding the event. Furthermore, the viewership for South Carolina’s victory was 285% larger than the audience for their title-winning game two years ago against UConn, indicating the expanding reach and appeal of women’s basketball at the collegiate level.
The last NBA game to attract a viewership of at least 18 million viewers was Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, featuring the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, which garnered 18.34 million viewers. The record-breaking viewership for South Carolina’s victory underscores the significance of women’s basketball and its ability to captivate audiences on a national scale.
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