Record-Breaking Viewership for Women’s College Basketball Conference Finals

Women’s college basketball continues to capture the attention of sports fans across the nation. Viewership numbers for conference tournaments show remarkable strength. This year’s figures, while not reaching the unprecedented heights of last season, still demonstrate a significant interest in the sport.

The UCLA-USC Big Ten Tournament final, in particular, drew an impressive audience. This reinforces the growing popularity of women’s college basketball.

Record-Breaking Viewership for Big Ten Tournament Final

The UCLA-USC Big Ten Tournament final, broadcast on CBS, averaged an impressive 1.44 million viewers. This game now holds the record for the second-largest audience for a women’s college basketball conference title game. It only trails last year’s Iowa-Nebraska matchup, which featured the star power of Caitlin Clark and drew 3.02 million viewers. The peak viewership for the UCLA-USC game reached 2.13 million, marking it as the fourth-largest audience for a women’s game this season.

Comparative Analysis

Interestingly, the viewership for this year’s UCLA-USC game was on par with last year’s USC-Stanford Pac-12 Tournament final. The USC-Stanford game also garnered 1.44 million viewers on ESPN. This consistency highlights the enduring appeal of these long-time Pac-12 rivals.

SEC Tournament Final: South Carolina vs. Texas

Earlier in the day, ESPN’s broadcast of the South Carolina-Texas SEC Tournament final averaged 1.3 million viewers. While this figure falls short of last year’s 2.0 million viewers for the South Carolina-LSU game, it still represents a significant increase from the 2023 South Carolina-Tennessee SEC title game, which drew 866,000 viewers.

Year-Over-Year Growth

The increase in viewership for the SEC final is noteworthy, demonstrating a growing interest in women’s college basketball. The 2023 SEC title game between South Carolina and Tennessee only managed to attract 866,000 viewers, making this year’s 1.3 million a substantial improvement.

ACC and Big 12 Tournament Finals Set New Records

The Duke-NC State ACC Tournament final and the TCU-Baylor Big 12 Tournament final both set new viewership records. The ACC final averaged 833,000 viewers, a 23% increase from last year. The Big 12 final saw an even more dramatic rise, with 759,000 viewers, marking a 126% increase from the previous year.

Significance of These Increases

These record-breaking numbers for the ACC and Big 12 finals are significant as they underscore the growing audience for women’s college basketball. The substantial year-over-year growth indicates that more fans are tuning in to watch these high-stakes games.

Big East Tournament Final and Semifinal

The UConn-Creighton Big East Tournament final, aired on FS1, averaged 492,000 viewers, making it the second-largest audience for the tournament since it moved to Fox Sports. The record was set by the previous day’s UConn-Villanova semifinal, which averaged 748,000 viewers on the FOX broadcast network.

Impact of UConn’s Popularity

UConn’s presence in the tournament undoubtedly contributed to these impressive viewership numbers. The school’s storied basketball program has a large and dedicated fan base, which helps drive viewership for their games.

Regular Season Viewership on ESPN Networks

For the regular season, ESPN networks averaged 280,000 viewers for women’s college basketball games, not counting championship week. This figure represents a 3% increase from last year and is the highest average since the 2008-09 season.

Notably, ESPN averaged 511,000 viewers, a 13% increase, while ABC scored 1.2 million viewers for its three games, a 120% increase.

Factors Contributing to Increased Viewership

Several factors have contributed to the increased viewership for regular season games on ESPN networks. The growing popularity of women’s college basketball, combined with strategic scheduling and promotion by the networks, has helped attract more viewers. Additionally, high-profile matchups and the presence of star players have also played a significant role.

Conclusion

The strong viewership numbers for women’s college basketball conference tournaments and regular season games highlight the growing popularity of the sport. With record-breaking audiences for several key games, it’s clear that more fans are tuning in to watch these talented athletes compete.

As the sport continues to grow, we can expect even more impressive viewership figures in the future.

To read more about the viewership statistics and trends in women’s college basketball, visit Sports Media Watch.