Women’s NCAA title game pulls in more viewers than men’s championship

When South Carolina defeated Iowa on Sunday to win the NCAA women’s basketball title, the Gamecocks did more than complete an undefeated season. The attraction of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and South Carolina’s bid for a third title in seven seasons was the first time the women’s final had outdrawn the men’s championship game in television viewership.

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It was also the second most-watched non-Olympic women’s sporting event on U.S. television, The Associated Press reported.

According to Nielsen data, South Carolina’s 87-75 victory against Clark and the Hawkeyes on ABC and ESPN averaged 18.87 million viewers, ESPN reported. And although ratings for Connecticut’s 75-60 victory against Purdue was a 4% improvement over the 2023 men’s final, it averaged 14.82 million on TBS and TNT, according to the sports cable news outlet.

Viewership for Sunday’s women’s final peaked at 24.1 million during the final 15 minutes of the contest, The Associated Press reported. Viewership was up more than 90% over the 2023 women’s final.

That was second only to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final between the United States and Japan, according to the news organization. That Sunday match, shown in prime time on the East Coast, averaged 25.4 million viewers on Fox.

NCAA women’s final: South Carolina defeats Iowa to complete unbeaten season

The two men’s semifinal games on Saturday averaged 12.8 million viewers, according to ESPN. The UConn-Alabama game pulled in 14.18 million viewers, while the Purdue-North Carolina State matchup averaged 11.45 million.

Friday night’s women’s semifinal games averaged 10.8 million, with the Iowa-UConn game averaging 14.2 million, ESPN reported.

“You’re seeing the growth in many places: attendance records, viewership and social media engagement surrounding March Madness,” UCLA coach Cori Close told the AP. “I don’t think you can attribute it just to Iowa, though. A rising tide does lifts all boats. But I think all those boats have been on many different waterways. The product is really good, and the increase of exposure is getting rewarded.”

NCAA men’s basketball final: UConn tops Purdue to repeat as champions

The record for the most-watched women’s basketball game 19.5 million, set during the gold medal contest during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the AP reported. Current South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was a member of the U.S. squad that defeated Brazil 111-87.

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