18.9M Viewers vs South Carolina(All-Time College WBB Record); 14.4M vs UConn; 12.3M vs LSU; 6.87M vs Colorado; 4.9M vs W Virginia; 3.23M vs Holy Cross
- Thread starter Franisdaman
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Richard (from the Athletic) thinks the women's tournament has a chance to out-view the men's tournament.
Holy Cross-Iowa most-viewed women's NCAA tournament opener
- Associated Press
BRISTOL, Conn. -- Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes can claim another record -- the most-viewed first-round game in women's NCAA tournament history.
The Hawkeyes' 91-65 win over Holy Cross on Saturday averaged 3.23 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen. The viewership surpassed the 2.50 million who watched last year's Elite Eight game between Iowa and Louisville, making this the most-viewed women's tournament game ever -- excluding Final Four contests and title games.
It was the third Iowa game this season where the viewer average was over 3 million. The seven Iowa games on network television -- ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox -- have averaged 2.27 million. Iowa's regional semifinal game against Colorado on Saturday will be on ABC.
According to ESPN, 1.5 billion total minutes were viewed on television and streaming platforms during the first round. That is the most on record in women's tournament history and a 70% increase over last year.
UConn's game against Jackson State, which preceded the Iowa contest, averaged 1.1 million on ABC, the third-most viewed first-round game on record.
Defending champion LSU's win over Rice on Friday averaged 762,400 viewers on ESPN, making it the most-watched weekday first-round game on record.
Another record for Clark, Iowa: NCAA TV ratings
Iowa's 91-65 win over Holy Cross on Saturday averaged 3.23 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen, making it the most-viewed women's tournament game ever -- excluding Final Four contests and title games.
Iowa's first two games in this year's women's tournament rank as the two most-watched on record prior to the Final Four.
If Iowa makes it to the final this year, there may be 25M viewers for the game.
Absolutely incredible what she and all the lady hawks are doing for women’s basketball.
Could an Iowa/LSU rematch in the Elite 8 reach 8 mil? More?!
I’m torn because I’m not optimistic Iowa would win that game and it gives Angel Reese and the entire LSU team a platform that makes me cringe…. But what an incredible moment for the sport that would be (and hopefully a hawks win - and yes, please beat Colorado first!).
Could an Iowa/LSU rematch in the Elite 8 reach 8 mil? More?!
I’m torn because I’m not optimistic Iowa would win that game and it gives Angel Reese and the entire LSU team a platform that makes me cringe…. But what an incredible moment for the sport that would be (and hopefully a hawks win - and yes, please beat Colorado first!).
I read somewhere that Iowa women is the only college team ever that had games broadcast on all four major TV networks in a season, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX. And no doubt the execs from all four networks couldn't be happier with the ratings.
Not sure if there would be anything on Monday night better to watch
Monday's game was the 4th Iowa women's game this season, and first one on cable, where the viewer average was over 3 million. The others were on Fox, CBS and ABC.
The story:
Caitlin Clark, Iowa draw record 4.9M viewers in 2nd-round NCAA win
- Associated Press
BRISTOL, Conn. -- It didn't take long for Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes to break their viewing record in the women's NCAA tournament.
The Hawkeyes' 64-54 victory over West Virginia in Monday night's second-round game averaged 4.90 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen, making it the most-viewed women's tournament game ever -- excluding Final Four contests and title games.
The viewership surpassed the 3.23 million who watched Iowa's first-round win over Holy Cross on Saturday on ABC.
Monday night's game is also the most-watched NCAA tournament game -- men's or women's -- on cable this year. The previous high was 4.09 million for Houston's overtime victory over Texas A&M Sunday night on TNT.
It was the fourth Iowa women's game this season, and first one on cable, where the viewer average was over 3 million. The others were on Fox, CBS and ABC.
Iowa's regional semifinal game in Albany, New York, against Colorado will be on ABC on Saturday afternoon. It should draw another large audience, especially with both men's regional finals not tipping off until the evening.
According to ESPN, Sunday and Monday's second-round games averaged 1.4 million, a 121% increase over last year.
LSU's rally over Middle Tennessee drew 2 million on Sunday on ABC.
UConn's victory over Syracuse, which preceded the Iowa game on ESPN, averaged 2.1 million. Southern California's win over Kansas, which followed Iowa, had 1.8 million.
Record 4.9M viewers watch Clark, Iowa top WVU
A record 4.9 million viewers tuned in to watch Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes take down West Virginia in Monday night's second-round matchup in the women's NCAA tournament.
I noted above that Monday's win over West Virginia was the 4th Iowa women's game this season where the viewer average was over 3 million.
The 4 games:
ESPN: 4,900,000; Monday March 25, 2024; 2nd Round NCAA Tournament game vs West Virginia (Iowa won 64-54)
FOX: 3,390,000; Sunday March 3, 2024; Senior Day game vs Ohio State (Iowa won 93-83)
ABC: 3,230,000; Sat March 23rd, 2024; 1st Round NCAA Tournament game vs Holy Cross (Iowa won 91-65)
CBS: 3,021,000; Sunday March 10, 2024; B1G Championship game vs Nebraska (Iowa won 94-89 in OT)
The 4 games:
ESPN: 4,900,000; Monday March 25, 2024; 2nd Round NCAA Tournament game vs West Virginia (Iowa won 64-54)
FOX: 3,390,000; Sunday March 3, 2024; Senior Day game vs Ohio State (Iowa won 93-83)
ABC: 3,230,000; Sat March 23rd, 2024; 1st Round NCAA Tournament game vs Holy Cross (Iowa won 91-65)
CBS: 3,021,000; Sunday March 10, 2024; B1G Championship game vs Nebraska (Iowa won 94-89 in OT)
https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/20...st-virginia-nearly-five-million-viewers-espn/
Iowa’s narrow win, which peaked with 6.4 million viewers, delivered the third-largest audience for any women’s tournament game in the past 20 years — since the 2004 UConn-Tennessee national championship (5.58M) — behind their national championship loss to LSU last year (9.92M) and their national semifinal win over South Carolina two days earlier (5.60M). Even the South Carolina-UConn national title game of two years ago, which was considered a strong draw at the time, averaged fewer viewers (4.85M).
Nearly five million watch Clark, Iowa, escape against West Virginia
by Jon LewisIowa’s narrow win, which peaked with 6.4 million viewers, delivered the third-largest audience for any women’s tournament game in the past 20 years — since the 2004 UConn-Tennessee national championship (5.58M) — behind their national championship loss to LSU last year (9.92M) and their national semifinal win over South Carolina two days earlier (5.60M). Even the South Carolina-UConn national title game of two years ago, which was considered a strong draw at the time, averaged fewer viewers (4.85M).
I would think so. Can't wait to see them. I would rather see the numbers for CC after April 7th tho. 😁
If I had to guess, I’d say 85-90% of those watching Monday will be pulling for our gals.
The 10 most-watched NCAA women’s basketball tournament games
Following increased viewership throughout the early rounds and national semifinals, the national title game between Clark’s Hawkeyes and Angel Reese and LSU averaged nearly ten million viewers across ABC and ESPN2 — easily the largest women’s college basketball audience of the people meter era.
#10: 1989 final, Tennessee def. Auburn (CBS): 7.22 million viewers
Pat Summitt and Tennessee won their second national championship in front of a CBS television audience of 7.22 million viewers, the largest for the national title in three years. (This was the first national title game of the Nielsen people meter era — 1988-present — which is generally how far back network records go.)#9: 1991 final, Tennessee def. Virginia (CBS): 7.33 million
Tennessee won again in 1991 and again proved to move the needle. Viewership not only outpaced their previous title game in ’89, but surged 57 percent over Stanford’s title game victory the prior year (4.67M).#8: 1995 final, UConn def. Tennessee (CBS): 7.44 million
The first national title meeting of Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt was also the last national title game to air on CBS. UConn’s first of many national title victories attracted 7.44 million viewers, up 37 percent from the prior year.#7: 1993 final, Texas Tech def. Ohio State (CBS): 7.81 million
Led by future Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, Texas Tech edged Ohio State for the national title in front of a television audience of 7.81 million, the highest for the title game in seven years.#6: 1992 national semifinal, Stanford def. Virginia (CBS): 8.08 million
The only game on this list that was not for the national championship, Stanford’s 1992 Final Four victory over Virginia averaged 8.08 million on CBS, which until 2023 was the largest women’s college basketball audience of the Nielsen people meter era (1988-present). The actual national title game did not fare nearly as well, as Stanford’s win over Western Kentucky averaged just 5.52 million the following day.#5: 1984 final, USC def. Tennessee (CBS): 8.29 million
Cheryl Miller’s second-straight — and final — national championship was won in front of a television audience of 8.29 million viewers, but that marked a sharp decline from the Trojans’ win the prior year.#4: 1982 final, Louisiana Tech def. Cheyney State (CBS): 8.79 million
In the first NCAA women’s basketball national championship, 8.79 million viewers tuned in to watch Louisiana Tech (featuring future LSU coach Kim Mulkey) defeat Cheyney State.
#3: 2023 final, LSU def. Iowa (ABC and ESPN2): 9.92 million
After CBS gave up rights to the women’s tournament in 1995, the event moved to ESPN. For 25 years, all ESPN coverage was limited to its cable networks, and viewership declined accordingly. It took until 2023 before the national title game aired on broadcast television again, just in time for a sharp upswing in interest in women’s basketball fueled largely by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.Following increased viewership throughout the early rounds and national semifinals, the national title game between Clark’s Hawkeyes and Angel Reese and LSU averaged nearly ten million viewers across ABC and ESPN2 — easily the largest women’s college basketball audience of the people meter era.
#2: 1986 final, Texas def. USC (CBS): 11.22 million
In the final college game played by Cheryl Miller, USC fell short to Texas in a national title game viewed by 11.22 million viewers — a 62 percent increase over the prior year.#1: 1983 final, USC def. Louisiana Tech (CBS): 11.84 million
Cheryl Miller’s first national championship attracted an audience of 11.84 million viewers, up 35% from the inaugural title game a year earlier and still the largest NCAA women’s basketball audience ever recorded by Nielsen.
Nearly 7 million Viewers for Iowa’s Sweet 16 win over Colorado
By Jon Lewis
April 2, 2024
The ratings records continue to fall as Caitlin Clark and Iowa move through the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
Saturday’s Iowa-Colorado NCAA women’s basketball tournament regional semifinal averaged 3.6 rating and 6.87 million viewers on ABC, trailing only last year’s LSU-Iowa final (9.92M) as the most-watched women’s tournament game since 1995.
The Hawkeyes’ win more-than-doubled last year’s comparable Ohio State-UConn game, which was at the time the most-watched regional semifinal on record (1.4, 2.41M).
Iowa-Colorado was the second-most watched sporting event of the day, topping UConn’s rout of Illinois in the men’s Elite Eight on TBS and truTV (3.0, 6.48M). The Alabama-Clemson men’s Elite Eight game took top honors with a 3.8 and 7.79 million.
Earlier in the day, LSU-UCLA averaged a 2.2 and 3.83 million — more-than-double South Carolina-UCLA on ESPN in the same window last year (1.0, 1.75M) and the third-largest tournament audience on record prior to the Final Four. Only Iowa-Colorado later in the day and Iowa-West Virginia in the second round (4.90M) averaged more viewers.
Shifting to cable, UConn-Duke averaged a 1.1 and 1.98 million and USC-Baylor a 0.9 and 1.70 million on ESPN. There was only one late window last year, Virginia Tech-Ohio State on ESPN2 at a 0.46 and 782,000.
Overall, Saturday’s regional semifinals averaged a 1.9 and 3.57 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, up 119% in ratings and 133% in viewership from last year’s 0.9 and 1.53 million. The full Sweet 16 averaged a 1.4 and 2.45 million, up 87% and 96% respectively from last year’s 0.7 and 1.25 million.
Moving to Sunday’s regional finals, South Carolina-Oregon State averaged a 1.6 and 3.07 million on ABC — the largest audience on record for the women’s Elite Eight, though that record will surely be broken by Monday’s Iowa-LSU game. NC State-Texas followed with a 1.4 and 2.47 million. Compared to last year’s Sunday games, which aired in primetime on ESPN and included both Iowa and LSU, ratings increased 22% and viewership 26% from a 1.2 and 2.19 million.
March 30, 2024; Albany, NY. Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark drives past Colorado Buffalos' guard Jaylyn Sherrod (0) during the 2nd half in the semi-finals of the Albany 2 Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena
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But likely won't be as high as LSU. More intrigue for the LSU game. Rematch, bad blood and as many viewers watching to see if Iowa or LSU would lose.
Will being the late game on Friday night help? ESPN says the tip is at 8:00 PM CT but guessing it's more like 8:30.
LSU fans will probably say the high Iowa/LSU TV ratings were due to them,. too
Angel is the face of WBB, after all
For the two Elite 8 games on Sunday:
3.066M: Oregon State vs South Carolina (70-58 win)
2.466M: Texas vs NC State (76-66 win)
3.066M: Oregon State vs South Carolina (70-58 win)
2.466M: Texas vs NC State (76-66 win)
