NCAA Apr 2, 2023; Dallas, TX, USA; LSU Lady Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson (4) reacts while cutting down a piece of the net after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes during the final round of the Women’s Final Four NCAA tournament at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
College BasketballBy Chris Novak on

The NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship Game drew an absolutely incredible number.

Iowa and LSU met in the 2023 National Title Game on Sunday afternoon. They delivered a record-setting viewership number across ESPN platforms.

ESPN PR announced the game averaged 9.9 million viewers across the platforms of ABC, ESPN2, and ESPN+.

The game is the most-viewed NCAA women’s basketball game ever. It’s up 103 percent in year-over-year viewership and peaked at 12.6 million viewers. For ESPN+, it’s the most-watched college event ever for the streaming service.

This is a monstrous number for all involved. Women’s sports have been on the rise in terms of viewership and interest. The Women’s NCAA Tournament saw huge viewership gains across the entire event. They certainly capped it off with a bang with this impressive performance.

The sports world was sure to react to the incredible news.

“More than many major college football games, NBA Playoffs, #StanleyCup and there’s room for growth. Clark, Reese, and Paige Bueckers all come back next year,” Brent Axe tweeted.

Stewart Mandel of The Athletic provided perspective, citing CFB rating numbers that the WBB Final beat.

Chicago-area ESPN personality Sarah Spain was super hyped about the news.

And Austin Karp pointed out the game beat ratings numbers for the Elite Eight, the Daytona 500, and fell just shy of the number the Rose Bowl drew.

[ESPNPR]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022

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