The University of Iowa’s women’s basketball team made headlines last week as they defeated two top-rated teams ahead of the women’s NCAA Championship, drawing an impressive audience of 13.9 million and 12.3 million viewers to ESPN. The matchup against Connecticut in the Final Four round of March Madness was the most-watched program on television for the week of April 1 to April 7, surpassing other popular shows like “FBI” and “Young Sheldon.” This game also set a new record for women’s college basketball viewership, surpassing the previous record set by the Iowa vs. Louisiana State University matchup just days before.
The Iowa vs. Connecticut game not only shattered viewership records for women’s college basketball but also outperformed other programs on television, including the North Carolina State vs. South Carolina women’s game which had 8.57 million viewers. ESPN, the home of the women’s tournament, became the most-watched cable channel in primetime as a result of these games, with an average of 3.4 million viewers tuning in between 8 and 11 p.m. on any given day last week. The success of the women’s NCAA Championship games highlights the growing popularity of women’s college basketball.
In addition to the women’s games, the men’s NCAA Championship also drew significant viewership, with the Alabama vs. UConn game on April 6 attracting a total of 12.9 million viewers across TBS and Turner networks. The NCAA tournaments dominated cable television last week, with the 13 most-watched shows all related to the games. The NC State vs. Purdue men’s game, which drew 10.4 million viewers, and the UConn vs. USC women’s game with 6.7 million viewers were among the top-rated programs.
Despite the success of the women’s teams in the NCAA tournaments, the University of Iowa ultimately lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the finals, which became the second most-watched non-Olympic women’s sporting event in U.S. television history. The game drew an average of 18.9 million viewers and peaked at 24.1 million viewers in the final 15 minutes. While the game’s viewership did not break into the most-watched programs across all of cable according to Nielsen rankings, it still marked a significant moment in women’s sports history.
On broadcast television, CBS crime drama “FBI” was the most-watched show with 6.8 million viewers, followed by “Young Sheldon,” “60 Minutes,” “Chicago Med,” and “Chicago Fire.” The CMT Music Awards on CBS also drew a decent audience of 5.38 million viewers, showcasing a slight downtick from the previous year but still representing a 4% increase from 2022. The success of the NCAA tournaments, both on the men’s and women’s side, highlights the widespread appeal of college basketball and the excitement it generates among viewers.
