Iowa-UConn Final Four Breaks Records with 14.2M Viewers

The women’s Final Four clash between Iowa and Connecticut on Friday night set a new viewership record, with 14.2 million tuning in. This marks the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever on ESPN platforms, surpassing the previous record set earlier this week during a national championship rematch between Iowa and LSU. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark scored 21 points, leading her team to a 71-69 victory over Connecticut in Cleveland. This win secures Iowa’s second-straight national championship game appearance.

The game also became the most-viewed college event ever on ESPN+ and ESPN’s second-best non-football telecast ever, peaking at 17 million viewers. The average viewership between the Iowa-UConn and NC State-South Carolina matchups was 10.8 million, making it the most-viewed women’s national semifinals on record, with a 138% increase in viewership year-over-year.

Looking ahead, all eyes are on the national championship game between Iowa and undefeated South Carolina, scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Last year’s championship game between LSU and Iowa drew an average of 9.9 million viewers, marking a 104% increase year-over-year. Notably, the Iowa-UConn matchup averaged more viewers than the 2023 World Series and the 2023 NBA Finals.