March Madness is used prior to the game between the Maryland Terrapins and South Carolina Gamecocks during the Elite Eight round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Health Arena in Greenville, South Carolina on March 27, 2023 Powerade bottles.
Grant Halvorson | NCAA Photo | Getty Images
Sunday’s NCAA women’s championship game between Iowa State and South Carolina set a record, drawing 18.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN.
ESPN said the game peaked at 24 million viewers, making it the most-watched NCAA women’s college basketball game since 1992. Ratings jumped 89% from last year’s women’s tournament and 285% from 2022, according to ESPN.
Iowa State, led by Caitlin Clark, lost to South Carolina in a tournament that was the most-watched basketball game, men’s, women’s, since 2019 , college basketball game or professional basketball game.
“Sunday’s Iowa-South Carolina championship game drew a record 18.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched NCAA matchup ever,” ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. It’s a fitting end to the Women’s Basketball Championship.” “These outstanding athletes, coaches and teams have captured our attention like never before, and it’s up to all of us to keep this incredible momentum going.”
According to ESPN, last week’s semifinal between the University of Iowa and the University of Connecticut also broke viewership records, reaching a peak of 17 million viewers.
That growth has been driven in part by players like Clark, who has drawn comparisons to some of the game’s all-time greats, spurring interest in women’s basketball and attracting new audiences. Clark, 22, dominated the court and set records, attracting more fans “The Caitlin Clark Effect.”
The March Madness tournament is the latest in a series of lightning moments in women’s sports in recent months.
Women’s sport is set to break records in 2023, with Deloitte predicting that women’s elite sport could generate more than $1 billion in revenue this year, a 300% increase from three years ago.
Valuations in women’s sports have been pushed to record levels between groundbreaking media deals and private investors and celebrities seeking entry.
About The Author
