{"id":13011,"date":"2024-04-11T16:13:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T23:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tegnacorpstage.wpengine.com\/advertise\/?p=13011"},"modified":"2024-06-12T08:50:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T15:50:46","slug":"march-madness-viewership-sets-new-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/march-madness-viewership-sets-new-records\/","title":{"rendered":"March Madness Viewership Sets New Records"},"content":{"rendered":"

With <\/span>18.9 million viewers<\/span><\/a> tuning in to watch the Women\u2019s NCAA Tournament Championship game, one thing becomes abundantly clear: <\/span>Enthusiasm for women’s sports is reaching new heights<\/span>. In fact, South Carolina\u2019s defeat of Iowa was crowned the most-watched basketball game \u2013 college or pro, men\u2019s or women\u2019s \u2013 in the last five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

To top things off, Iowa and its breakout star, Caitlin Clark, set even more records during three consecutive games. The team\u2019s Elite Eight rematch against LSU drew 12.3 million March Madness viewers<\/span>, while their Final Four victory over UConn captured the attention of 14.2 million viewers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s final was a perfect combination of the game\u2019s biggest player tipping off against an undefeated team. It\u2019s a sports fan\u2019s dream, a perfect storm,\u201d says Dan McDonough, Director of Sponsorships at TEGNA. \u201cWith the rise of superstars like Clark and Angel Reese coming to the forefront, we\u2019re seeing the women\u2019s game grow, and viewership was up 91% this year compared to last.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Growing Role of Women in Sports Marketing<\/b><\/h2>\n

This is all good news for brand advertising.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s leagues are getting more and more attention from major broadcast networks, and the value of this media is increasing exponentially,\u201d says McDonough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s providing a new avenue for brands to speak to their audience in new and creative ways. It\u2019s also great to see them speaking to a young audience of girls who are growing up idolizing female athletes. You don\u2019t necessarily see that in the men\u2019s games.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Millennial<\/a><\/p>\n

Some brands have already recognized the potential of women’s sports to create brand awareness among new, growing, and diverse audiences. Women’s pro sports sponsorships have <\/span>climbed 22% since 2023<\/span><\/a>, and females comprise <\/span>52% of all college athletes with NIL brand marketing partnerships<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Iowa\u2019s <\/span>Caitlin Clark<\/span><\/a> and LSU\u2019s Angel Reese already have NIL deals with brands like Gatorade, State Farm, Nike and Reebok, Tampax, and several others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not only college basketball scoring big with growing success in viewership.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Combined viewership for the <\/span>2023 WNBA regular season<\/span><\/a> across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, and CBS was up 21% over 2022, reaching 36 million unique viewers to become the most-watched regular season in 21 years. The women also contributed to the most-watched WNBA All-Star game on ABC in 16 years and the most-watched WNBA Draft since 2004 on ESPN. In-person game attendance was also up 16% versus 2022, marking the highest attendance rate since 2018,\u00a0making this a prime opportunity for brands to leverage WNBA advertising<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of 2023, The National Women’s Soccer League (<\/span>NWSL) <\/span>announced a <\/span>landmark media deal<\/span><\/a> to air games using a broadcast and digital streaming distribution mix across CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and others in the US.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Canada, the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League (PWHL), currently in its inaugural season, has been shattering attendance records while setting benchmarks for TV viewership. Crayola also responded to the PWHL\u2019s popularity with a new color named <\/span>Powerplay Plum<\/span><\/a> in its honor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Hear It for the Boys: Men\u2019s March Madness Viewership<\/b><\/h2>\n

While the Women’s Final stole headlines this year, the Men’s NCAA Tournament also witnessed remarkable viewership numbers with significant year-over-year increases. Numbers reported by <\/span>ESPN<\/span><\/a> show:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n