For the first time in history, the viewership of the women’s national championship game surpassed that of the men’s college basketball national championship game. While the viewership for the men’s game increased, it was still overshadowed by the remarkable popularity of the women’s game.
The national championship game between Connecticut and Purdue on Monday attracted a viewership of 14.8 million across TBS, TNT, and TruTV, as reported by Nielson. This marked a slight increase from the 2023 men’s title game between the Huskies and San Diego State, which garnered an audience of 14.7 million.
The men’s game, however, experienced another disappointing viewership figure. Last year’s national championship game set a record as the least-watched title game in history, and Monday’s game fell short, becoming the second-lowest ever. In contrast, the women’s national championship game between Iowa and South Carolina on Sunday achieved great success, attracting a whopping 18.7 million viewers across ESPN and ABC. This remarkable viewership made it the most-watched women’s basketball game ever. ESPN reported that the number of viewers reached its peak at 24 million during the Hawkeyes and Gamecocks matchup, making it the most-watched sporting event since 2019 (excluding football and the Olympics).
The women’s NCAA Tournament captured significantly more attention and excitement compared to the men’s counterpart. Throughout the tournament, the record for the most-watched women’s basketball game was broken multiple times, each time featuring the exceptional skills of Iowa star Caitlin Clark. In contrast, the men’s NCAA Tournament lacked a standout player on the same level as Clark. Furthermore, although the national championship game showcased two of the season’s top teams, it was broadcast on TBS instead of CBS and had a late start time of 9:20 p.m. ET.
The men’s national championship game hasn’t seen a viewership of over 20 million since 2017, when North Carolina and Gonzaga attracted nearly 23 million viewers on CBS. Monday’s game witnessed Connecticut triumphing over Purdue to secure their second consecutive national championship.
