The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship between Penn State and Louisville averaged 1.3 million viewers on ABC, representing the third-largest college volleyball audience on record. Emanating from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., the Nittany Lions secured a four-set victory that peaked with 1.9 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. The tournament was down 23% from the record-setting 1.69 million viewers that the final between Texas and Nebraska averaged last year when the National Championship Game started airing on ABC.
The game action was called live by play-by-play announcer Courtney Lyle with analysts Holly McPeak and Katie George, and sideline reporter Madison Fitzpatrick. Studio coverage took place from the arena with Christine Williamson and Emily Ehman providing viewers pregame and postgame highlights and analysis. Semifinal coverage on ESPN one week earlier averaged 1.1 million viewers, representative of a 4% year-over-year increase. The Penn State-Nebraska matchup averaged 1.2 million viewers on ESPN, marking the most-watched NCAA volleyball semifinal on record. Louisville advanced with a win over Pittsburgh that averaged 1 million viewers, and both semifinal games peaked with an audience of 1.4 million.
The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship is sixth among the most-watched national championship events in college sports, according to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. College football ranks first with an average of 25.1 million viewers tuning in for the National Championship Game featuring Michigan and Washington. College basketball ranks second and third on the list for the final games within the women’s and men’s tournaments, which garnered audiences of 18.9 million and 14.8 million viewers, respectively. The third game of the Men’s College World Series and second game of the Women’s College World Series are the only other championships under this criteria to outdraw this year’s women’s volleyball championship.
ESPN will continue broadcasting NCAA championships under a new eight-year agreement that extends a four-decade collaborative relationship. The company has the rights for 40 NCAA championships, including women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and Division I/National Collegiate championships, along with international rights for all NCAA Championships. The deal reportedly has an average value of $115 million for these rights and also includes both entities working together to maximize opportunities for exposure on ABC and ESPN during the term.
ESPN also signed a new six-year media rights deal with the College Football Playoff, 11-year extension with the National Basketball Association and 12-year deal with the United States Tennis Association throughout the year. These agreements take place ahead of the anticipated launch of the company’s direct-to-consumer platform in Fall 2025.
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