For the first time, the NCAA women’s basketball championship outdrew the men. Examine the ratings for the NCAA women’s and men’s finals below.
TV Ratings: NCAA Women’s Final Sets Records
'24 #NCAAWBB Natl. Championship ended the season with a bang on ABC & ESPN
🏀18.7M viewers, peak 24M
🏀Up 89% from '23 & 285% from '22
🏀Most-watched basketball game (men's or women's, college or pro) since '19
🏀Most-watched sporting event since '19 (excl. football & Olympics) pic.twitter.com/0a4uwiOwgp— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 8, 2024
According to Nielsen, Sunday’s 2024 NCAA Women’s National Championship on ABC averaged 18.87 million viewers. The game between Iowa and South Carolina was the most watched basketball game (women or men, college or pro) since 2019.
Excluding football and the Olympics, Iowa vs. South Carolina was the most-watched sporting event since 2019.
One of the reasons for the groundbreaking ratings can be attributed to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. The sharpshooting senior became a must-watch TV because of her Steph Curry-like range and highlight reel passes.
Clark and Iowa could not overcome South Carolina in the championship as the Gamecocks capped off an undefeated season with a 87-75 victory. The win marked South Carolina’s second title in three seasons.
TV Ratings: Men’s NCAA Final Ratings
TV Ratings: Men's NCAA Final Falls Short of Women's Title Game for First Time https://t.co/wPGn87jgEc
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 9, 2024
Monday night’s championship game between UConn and Purdue on TBS/TNT averaged 14.82 million viewers, per Nielsen.
The men’s final was up 4% from last year’s championship featuring UConn and San Diego State on CBS.
UConn defeated Purdue by a score of 75-60 to win their second straight national championship. UConn is the first repeat champion since Florida won in 2006 and 2007.
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