The NCAA National Championship for men’s basketball saw an increase in viewership compared to last year’s final game, with an average of 14.8 million people tuning in to watch the UConn Huskies defeat the Purdue University Boilermakers. However, this fell short of the women’s championship viewership for the first time ever, as the women’s game between the University of South Carolina and Iowa drew an estimated 18.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN. This marked a historic moment in which the women’s championship audience surpassed that of the men’s championship, according to Nielsen data.
Despite not reaching the record-breaking viewership of the women’s championship, the men’s final did see a slight increase in viewership compared to last year’s championship game. The women’s championship game between South Carolina and Iowa was the most-watched basketball game since 2019, including both men’s and women’s games at the college and professional level, making it the most-watched spring sporting event in the last five years excluding football and the Olympics. In comparison, the most-watched men’s final dating back to 1995 was in 1997 when 28.3 million people tuned in to watch the University of Arizona beat Kentucky.
Women’s college basketball had a standout season this year, attracting more attention and fans due to standout players like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese. Iowa broke viewership records for women’s college basketball multiple times during the tournament, with ESPN reporting a 96% increase in viewership for the women’s Sweet 16 compared to last year. Celebrities like Jason Sudeikis, Darius Rucker, Megan Rapinoe, and Kylie Kelce made appearances at the women’s Final Four and championship games, showing support for women’s sports. Iowa, led by Clark, sold out several road games and almost all home games in Iowa City, demonstrating the growing popularity of women’s college basketball.
Ticket prices for the women’s semifinals and championship games in Cleveland were reported to be higher than those for the men’s Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. However, ticket prices for the men’s Final Four were the highest in years, but still lower on average compared to the women’s. It will be interesting to see how the viewership for the women’s tournament overall improved, as ESPN is set to release a detailed look at the viewership records set during the women’s championship and March Madness. With the success and increased viewership of women’s college basketball this year, it will be worth keeping an eye on how this momentum translates into continued growth and support for the sport in the future.
