Women's NCAA Championship draws record number of TV viewers: NPR
On Sunday, an average of about 18.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the South Carolina Gamecocks defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes for the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship.
Molly Gash/AP
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Molly Gash/AP
On Sunday, an average of about 18.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the South Carolina Gamecocks defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes for the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship.
Molly Gash/AP
The University of South Carolina wasn't the only winner of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. So did the television networks broadcasting the games, with a record number of viewers watching the championship on Sunday.
The final game between the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes averaged approximately 18.7 million viewers, reaching an impressive peak viewership figure. 24 million According to ESPN, this is the first time in history that the women's final drew more TV viewers than the men's final.
In comparison, the UConn Huskies' win over Purdue in Men's Division I averaged 14.82 million viewers on TBS and TNT.
But that's not the only glass ceiling shattered for sports. Sunday's game was also the most-watched basketball game since 2019, for men's, women's, college and professional basketball.
Sunday's title game was the night that broke the TV viewership record for the women's college tournament for the third year in a row.Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU – 2023 NCAA Championship rematch, tie At the time, the number of viewers was 12.3 million.According to ESPN, the highest viewership was 16.1 million. The subsequent semifinal match between the University of Iowa and the University of Connecticut broke that record, attracting 14.2 million television viewers. ESPN said..
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro called the championship showdown “a fitting finale” to the March Madness tournament.
“These outstanding players, coaches and teams have captured our attention in an unprecedented way, and it is incumbent upon all of us to maintain this great momentum,” Pitaro said in a statement.
A new generation of superstar athletes, especially Iowa State's Caitlin Clark, is sparking a new passion for women's basketball. most prolific scorer This season will go down in NCAA history.
Other big players to watch this season include LSU's Angel Reese, an NCAA player. record holder For a double-double during the season. UW's Paige Backers will not enter the 2024 WNBA Draft and will return to the team for her senior season next year.And that Freshman genius JuJu Watkins from the University of Southern California.
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On Sunday, an average of about 18.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the South Carolina Gamecocks defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes for the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship.
Molly Gash/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Molly Gash/AP
On Sunday, an average of about 18.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the South Carolina Gamecocks defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes for the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship.
Molly Gash/AP
The University of South Carolina wasn't the only winner of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. So did the television networks broadcasting the games, with a record number of viewers watching the championship on Sunday. The final game between the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes averaged approximately 18.7 million viewers, reaching an impressive peak viewership figure. 24 million According to ESPN, this is the first time in history that the women's final drew more TV viewers than the men's final. In comparison, the UConn Huskies' win over Purdue in Men's Division I averaged 14.82 million viewers on TBS and TNT.
But that's not the only glass ceiling shattered for sports. Sunday's game was also the most-watched basketball game since 2019, for men's, women's, college and professional basketball. Sunday's title game was the night that broke the TV viewership record for the women's college tournament for the third year in a row.Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU – 2023 NCAA Championship rematch, tie At the time, the number of viewers was 12.3 million.According to ESPN, the highest viewership was 16.1 million. The subsequent semifinal match between the University of Iowa and the University of Connecticut broke that record, attracting 14.2 million television viewers. ESPN said.. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro called the championship showdown “a fitting finale” to the March Madness tournament. “These outstanding players, coaches and teams have captured our attention in an unprecedented way, and it is incumbent upon all of us to maintain this great momentum,” Pitaro said in a statement.
A new generation of superstar athletes, especially Iowa State's Caitlin Clark, is sparking a new passion for women's basketball. most prolific scorer This season will go down in NCAA history. Other big players to watch this season include LSU's Angel Reese, an NCAA player. record holder For a double-double during the season. UW's Paige Backers will not enter the 2024 WNBA Draft and will return to the team for her senior season next year.And that Freshman genius JuJu Watkins from the University of Southern California.
https://npr.org/2024/04/10/1243801501/womens-ncaa-championship-tv-ratings Women's NCAA Championship draws record number of TV viewers: NPR
