ESPN has announced that the network set another record on Friday night during the Final Four within the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, attaining an average of 14.2 million viewers for its broadcast of the matchup between the UConn Huskies and Iowa Hawkeyes. Data from Nielsen Fast Nationals revealed that the game became the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record and peaked at 17 million viewers. Moreover, the broadcast marked the largest audience for any basketball game on record ever televised by ESPN.
The showdown between star guards Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark came down to the final moments and ended in a 71-69 victory for the Hawkeyes, sending the team to its second consecutive National Championship Game in program history. The game accounted for the most-viewed college event in the history of ESPN+ and was also the second-best non-football telecast ever on ESPN.
In terms of average viewership, the game surpassed Iowa’s matchup against LSU, a rematch of last year’s National Championship Game, which averaged 12.3 million viewers and peaked at 16.1 million viewers. As a whole, ESPN’s coverage of the Elite Eight averaged 6.2 million viewers and finished as the most-watched edition of the round on record. This year’s four-game slate accounted for four of the five most-watched Elite Eight games on record and was up 184% year-over-year.
The earlier Final Four game between NC State and South Carolina averaged 7.1 million viewers and peaked at 9 million viewers. The game is the third-best women’s national semifinal audience on record. ESPN’s coverage of the Final Four marked the most-viewed women’s national semifinals on record, garnering an average of 10.8 million viewers, which is up 138% year-over-year. Furthermore, both games averaged 3.1 million viewers within the P18-49 demographic, an increase of more than 130% year-over-year.
Coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship Game begins on ABC at 2 p.m. EST with Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike, Carolyn Peck and Aliyah Boston, also streaming on ESPN+ and broadcast on ESPN3. The National Championship Game commences at 3 p.m. EST on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3, and will feature play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco, color commentator Rebecca Lobo and reporter Holly Rowe on the call.
ESPN will televise The Bird & Taurasi Show featuring WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi that will also be available to watch on ESPN+. Other megacast feeds exclusively on ESPN+ includes Beyond the Rim and On the Rail camera views that provide viewers with a different perspective of the game. ESPN will utilize 43 cameras while in Cleveland, 32 of which are dedicated to the game, in addition to a skycam, outdoor drone and railcam.
