Iowa-LSU Was the Most Watched College Basketball Game EVER on ESPN
ESPN’s investment in women’s college basketball is starting to pay real dividends for the worldwide leader in sports.
The Elite Eight contest between Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and Angel Reese’s LSU Tigers was clearly the most anticipated event in the sport’s history, and it managed to deliver unheard-of ratings for ESPN.
Photo: AP
The showdown managed to draw 12.3 million viewers on Monday night, making it the most-watched college basketball game ever on ESPN (men’s or women’s). Additionally, the lofty figure was the second-highest an NCAA Tournament game has pulled in this year.
Photo: AP
The highly anticipated rematch of last year’s Women’s National Championship topped out at 16.1 million viewers.
The Ratings Dwarfed Other Sports
Even outside of college basketball, Iowa and LSU managed to draw the highest ratings for a basketball game since the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. It was the second-highest-rated basketball game in a decade.
Photo: Disney
The game also topped any game in the 2023 NBA Finals, any game in the 2023 World Series, the 2023 Big Ten Championship, Thursday Night Football game, and every 2023 college football regular season game except for Ohio State vs. Michigan.
ESPN Has Invested In College Sports
The record-breaking game came just months after ESPN and the NCAA reached a new eight-year agreement for college championship broadcasting rights.
Overall, the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament has seen a 127% increase in ratings year over year. The tournament averages 1.5M viewers per game through the Elite Eight.
Photo: Yahoo
ESPN hopes that the momentum will continue when the Final Four takes place on Friday night. Winners in those games (South Carolina vs. NC State/ Iowa vs. UConn) will then play in the National Championship Game on ABC this Sunday.
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