Caitlin Clark’s Final Four Performance Draws Record-Breaking Viewership Numbers
ESPN’s investment in women’s college basketball continued to pay off on Friday when the Final Four matchup between Iowa and Uconn delivered the network’s highest-rated basketball broadcast ever.
Iowa’s 71-69 victory over Uconn brought in an astounding 14.2 million viewers to ESPN, making it the most-watched women’s basketball game ever.
The previous high water mark for a women’s college basketball game was the 12.3 million viewers who turned into Monday’s Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU. The most watched basketball game, meanwhile, was the 2018 Eastern Conference finals matchup between Cleveland and Boston. That game managed to deliver 13.51 million viewers.
A Record-Breaking Night For ESPN
Friday’s Final Four game peaked at an audience of 17 million. The game will likely end up being one of the top 50 primetime telecasts of 2024. It would have landed at 32 on last year’s list.
The last NBA game to draw at least 14 million viewers was Golden State’s title-clinching Game 6 victory of over the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. The game managed to draw 14.22 million viewers.
Firday’s other Final Four matchup between South Carolina and NC State managed to average 7.1 million viewers, making it the third most-watched national semifinal game since 1992. The previous record for a semi-final game was Stanford vs. Virginia on CBS in 1992, which delivered 8.1 million viewers.
Combined, the two games averaged 10.8 million viewers, a 138% increase over last year.
The Championship Game Will Be Played Sunday Afternoon
Catlin Clark’s five NCAA Tournament games this year have averaged 8.32 million viewers on ESPN and ABC. The women’s tournament will conclude with the National Championship game Sunday on ABC.