Iowa’s 71-69 victory over UConn at the women’s Final Four on Friday night was a historic moment in women’s basketball, drawing an average of 14.2 million viewers on ESPN. This made it the most-viewed women’s basketball game on record and the largest audience for an ESPN basketball broadcast. The previous record was set by the Iowa-LSU game in the Elite Eight with 12.3 million viewers. The game saw the audience peak at 17 million, likely making it one of the top 50 primetime telecasts of 2024.
This game also marked ESPN’s second-highest audience for a non-football broadcast, surpassing the numbers of other major sporting events. The last NBA game to draw at least 14 million viewers was the 2022 NBA Finals, with Golden State’s victory over Boston. The NCAA men’s title game between San Diego State and UConn last year averaged 14.79 million viewers, showing the growing popularity of college basketball on television.
For Clark’s five March Madness games on ESPN and ABC, an average of 8.3 million viewers tuned in, further highlighting the strong viewership for college basketball. Iowa will now face South Carolina for the national championship Sunday afternoon on ABC. South Carolina’s victory over North Carolina State in the semifinals drew an average of 7.1 million viewers, making it the third most-watched women’s national semifinal since records began in 1992. The previous record for the most-viewed semifinal was set by Stanford vs. Virginia in 1992 with 8.1 million viewers.
The overall viewership for Friday’s two games at the women’s Final Four averaged 10.8 million viewers, representing a 138% increase from the previous year. The success of these broadcasts highlights the growing interest in women’s college basketball and the continued popularity of the NCAA tournament. Fans can stay updated on the latest from March Madness through the AP March Madness bracket and coverage on their website. The final between Iowa and South Carolina is set to be a highly anticipated matchup that could potentially break more viewership records.
