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Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Friday night’s matchup between Iowa and Connecticut in the women’s Final Four drew 14.2 million viewers, again setting a record for women’s college
basketball viewership just days after the previous record was set,
ESPN announced Saturday. The matchup drew more viewership than last year's World Series and the 2023
NBA Finals. Key Facts Friday’s game was the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever on ESPN platforms, surpassing the 12.3 million viewers set earlier this week during a national championship rematch between Iowa and LSU, the network announced on X, formerly known as Twitter. The game was the most-viewed college event ever on ESPN+ and ESPN’s second-best non-football telecast ever, after peaking at 17 million viewers, the network said . Iowa star Caitlin Clark Iowa scored 21 points as Iowa defeated Connecticut 71-69 in the Final Four game in Cleveland, leading the team to its second-straight national championship game appearance. The average viewership between Iowa-UConn and the other Final Four matchup, NC State-South Carolina, averaged 10.8 million viewers, making it the most-viewed women’s national semifinals on record and an increase of 138% viewership year-over-year, according to ESPN. What To Watch For Viewership for the national championship. Last year’s national championship game between LSU and Iowa drew an average of 9.9 million viewers, according to ESPN. That game was the most-viewed championship game on record and a 104% increase year-over-year. This year, Iowa will play undefeated South Carolina on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Surprising Fact Iowa’s matchup with UConn averaged more viewers than last year’s World Series—which averaged 9.1 million viewers a game—and the average for the 2023 NBA Finals, which drew an average 11.6 million a game. Further Reading Iowa-LSU Women’s Game Draws 12 Million Viewers—More Than Last Year’s World Series And NBA Finals Averages ( Forbes ) Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions