• LSU’s historic win over Iowa in the Women’s March Madness final set a new viewership record for NCAA women’s basketball games, with 9.9 million viewers tuning in on ABC commercial network, marking a 103% YoY increase.

• Viewership for LSU’s win peaked at 12.6 million across all Disney-owned platforms, setting a new all-time audience high for a men’s or women’s college sports event on ESPN+ subscription streaming service.

• The Women’s March Madness shattered numerous viewership records, attracting major sponsors eager to associate themselves with the event’s success, as ESPN’s current broadcast contract for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament is set to end next year.

Louisiana State University’s (LSU) historic win over the University of Iowa in the Women’s March Madness final garnered widespread attention, setting a new viewership record for a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s basketball game. The game was broadcasted on the ABC commercial network and reached a staggering 9.9 million viewers, marking a 103 percent increase in average audience compared to the previous year.

But the excitement didn’t stop there – the viewership for LSU Tigers’ 102-85 win against the Iowa Buckeyes peaked at 12.6 million across all Disney-owned platforms, including ESPN+. This final set a new all-time audience high for a men’s or women’s college sports event on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service.

Before the title game, the two ‘Final Four’ matchups were the most-viewed basketball games ever on ESPN+, with an average of 3.4 million viewers tuning in to watch LSU beat Virginia Tech, hitting a peak of 5 million. Meanwhile, the Women’s March Madness semi-finals averaged 4.5 million viewers on ESPN’s linear network, with Iowa’s ‘Final Four’ win over South Carolina averaging 5.5 million viewers and peaking at 6.6 million.

This year’s Women’s March Madness shattered numerous viewership records, with the ‘Elite Eight’ games averaging 2.2 million viewers, up 43 percent YoY. Such impressive numbers have caught the attention of sponsors, with the tournament attracting major brands eager to associate themselves with the event’s success.

As next year marks the last of ESPN’s current broadcast contract for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, if this growth is maintained, there will be no shortage of suitors when talks on the new deal roll around. The NCAA will undoubtedly be hoping for equally strong numbers for the men’s Final Four and title game on CBS, which are set to be released later this week.