Women's Basketball viewership at the college and pro level soar in 2024

Sunday’s NCAA title game set a new record, drawing an average of 18.7 million viewers and peaking at 24 million to watch South Carolina and the Iowa Hawkeyes. The game was aired on ABC and is the most watched basketball game – including NBA and WNBA – since 2019, according to ESPN.

’24 #NCAAWBB Natl. Championship ended the season with a bang on ABC & ESPN

🏀18.7M viewers, peak 24M
🏀Up 89% from ’23 & 285% from ’22
🏀Most-watched basketball game (men’s or women’s, college or pro) since ’19
🏀Most-watched sporting event since ’19 (excl. football & Olympics) pic.twitter.com/0a4uwiOwgp

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 8, 2024

Numbers from Nielsen also reported that the title contest drew 89% more viewers than last year and 285% more than in 2022 when South Carolina beat UConn.

Athletes Unlimited also experienced a surge in viewership during the league’s third Basketball season. From 2023 to 2024, AU Pro Basketball viewership increased by 123%. The numbers reported reflect viewership on the WNBA App, which broadcasted 18 of the 24 games.

AU Pro Basketball also saw growth when comparing each week of the 2024 season. Competition had increased viewership year-over-year culminating with a single-week increase in Week 4 of 482% when Allisha Gray was crowned the Season 3 Champion.

Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes’ trial to the championship to meet the Gamecocks picked up momentum game after game. They are part of the three most-viewed women’s college basketball games of all time including their Final Four win over UConn (14.2 million), Elite Eight win against LSU (12.3 million), and last year’s national championship game against LSU (9.9 million).

Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Twitter @savannaecollins.