Iowa-South Carolina Game Smashes Viewership Records, Most-Watched Basketball Game In Five Years

Getty Image / Gregory Shamus

Women’s basketball caught fire during the 2024 NCAA D1 Women’s Basketball Tournament over the last few weeks. Much of that is due to the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark going on a fantastic run that captivated America, starting with last year’s tournament.

The ratings for Sunday’s National Championship Game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks were expected to be huge. After all, Iowa’s Elite Eight and Final Four wins over LSU and UConn brought in huge viewership.

The viewership numbers have been released for Sunday’s game, which South Carolina won, 87-75. They are absolutely massive.

Getting that many Americans to watch anything is impressive. Those numbers are mostly reserved for Sunday Night Football, the NFL Playoffs, presidential speeches, and the Olympics. But, to get those numbers is incredible for women’s basketball, a sport that has been a punching bag for years over lack of support.

In fact, as the graphic said, it’s the most-watched basketball game of any kind in five years. That includes the NBA Finals, the NCAA Men’s Tournament, and everything in between. This truly was a monster event that captivated America at levels we don’t really see anymore.

With Caitlin Clark off to the WNBA, likely as the first-overall pick of the Indiana Fever, it remains to be seen what happens to these huge viewership totals going forward. Will fans who love watching Caitlin Clark in college migrate over to watching the WNBA? Was this just a flash in the pan for Women’s College Basketball, or will the number be sustained?

It’s hard to say with certainty. But, even if future games don’t have record-setting viewership, I think the baseline viewership for women’s basketball has exponentially increased over the past year.