Caitlin Clark and the Iowa women's basketball team set a new viewership record for ESPN's broadcast of the NCAA women's tournament, attracting 4.90 million viewers for the Hawkeyes' win on March 25 over West Virginia, the highest for a women's tournament game excluding Final Fours and title games. The number eclipses the previous record set by their first-round matchup on March 23 against Holy Cross, which had 3.23 million viewers.
The Hawkeyes' game now stands as the most-watched NCAA tournament game on cable in 2021, surpassing even the men's games, with Houston's overtime victory over Texas A&M previously holding the top spot at 4.09 million viewers on TNT.
Clark's influence on viewership extends through the season, with Iowa games averaging over 3 million viewers on various networks including Fox, CBS and ABC. Their next game against Colorado on Saturday in the Sweet 16, slated for ABC, is expected to maintain this trend due to its primetime slot and the absence of competing men's regional finals.
Caitlin Clark driving viewership surge
Comparative data showcases the significant viewership surge: last year's second-round games averaged 1.4 million viewers, indicating a 121% increase this year, per the Associated Press. Other notable viewership figures include LSU's rally over Middle Tennessee drawing 2 million and UConn's win over Syracuse preceding the Iowa game at 2.1 million. The game following Iowa, featuring USC versus Kansas, had 1.8 million viewers.
Clark's impact is evident when compared to the first-round game two years ago, where the highest viewership was 767,000 for UConn vs. Mercer. Her presence has boosted the viewership of not just Iowa's games but the sport as a whole, with earlier games like Jackson State vs. UConn attracting over a million viewers, significantly higher than prior first-round broadcasts.
The draw of Clark and her team is further emphasized by their Big Ten title game against Nebraska, which became the most-watched women's college basketball game on CBS in 25 years, peaking at 4.45 million viewers during overtime. This season's matchups, including one against Ohio State, continued the trend, signaling a shift in the viewership landscape where Iowa games rank competitively with men's basketball, including heavyweight matchups like North Carolina-Duke.
This trend is not isolated to Iowa, as the South Carolina-LSU SEC Tournament final also captured a notable audience of 1.96 million on ESPN.
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