The University of South Carolina came out on top of this year’s women’s March Madness, but the tournament was a win for more than just the Gamecocks.
Viewership records were repeatedly shattered, from the second round all the way through to the championship game, when 18.9 million viewers tuned in to watch Kamilla Cardoso and the University of South Carolina topple Caitlin Clark and the University of Iowa and complete the Gamecocks’ undefeated season. That final matchup had one of the biggest US TV audiences for a sporting event since 2019, behind only football, the World Cup, and the Olympics, according to the Associated Press.
Early signs: In the second round of March Madness, the women’s games averaged 1.4 million viewers on ESPN platforms, up 121% year over year, to become the most-watched women’s second round ever, according to the network. By the time the Sweet Sixteen rolled around, they averaged 2.4 million viewers, up 96% from 2023, making it the most-watched women’s Sweet Sixteen, according to the network.
The Elite Eight drew a record 6.2 million viewers on average, an 184% YoY increase, per ESPN. When Iowa and LSU met for a rematch of last year’s championship game, 12.3 million viewers tuned in, with a peak of 16.1 million, which at the time set overall records for women’s college basketball and basketball in general on ESPN—until the Final Four, according to the network.
Big numbers: The Final Four averaged 10.8 million viewers, up 130% year over year, per ESPN, making it the most-viewed women’s national semifinals ever. The semifinal game between Iowa and the University of Connecticut drew 14.2 million viewers, 17 million at its peak, per ESPN, the biggest audience for any basketball game ever on the network, and the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all time. Again, the records were temporary.
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During the championship game, viewership peaked at 24.1 million, according to Nielsen data. The 18.9 million average viewership figure, also from Nielsen, made the Iowa-South Carolina matchup the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record and the most-watched basketball game since 2019. By comparison, the men’s championship game drew 14.8 million viewers, 4 million fewer than the women’s, per Nielsen, the first time ever that the women’s final had a larger audience than the men’s.
Advertisers seemed to sense early on that the tournament would be popular, especially in the later rounds: Some prioritized women athletes and the women’s tournament in their March Madness ad buys, and ESPN sold out of ad inventory in the Final Four and championship game right before the tournament’s kickoff.
Caitlin Clark Kent: Though Iowa didn’t win the tournament, Clark, the all-time NCAA Division I scorer, undeniably boosted viewership numbers. After the championship game, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley acknowledged Clark during the trophy ceremony, saying “I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport.” Iowa games drew the highest number of viewers in each of the record-breaking rounds of the tournament, according to stats from ESPN.
Look back at it: Even before the tournament started, women’s college basketball was having a stellar year. In March, the Big Ten championship game between Iowa and the University of Nebraska set the record for the “most-watched women’s college basketball conference tournament game ever on any network,” peaking with about 4.5 million viewers during overtime, per CBS. March Madness broke records on the women’s side last year, too.