Tuesday’s mismatch between Connecticut and Louisville was the least-viewed women’s NCAA title game since the last time the teams met.
The Connecticut/Louisville Women’s NCAA Tournament National Championship Game earned 3.2 million viewers on ESPN Tuesday night, down 25% from Baylor/Notre Dame last year (4.2M), and down 16% from Texas A&M/Notre Dame in 2011 (3.8M).
Connecticut’s record-setting 33-point victory ranks as the least-viewed title game since 2009, when Connecticut beat Louisville by 22 points (2.7M).
All things considered, 3.2 million viewers for an uncompetitive women’s basketball game on cable is a very strong performance. Only four men’s college basketball games on ESPN this season drew a larger audience: Michigan/Indiana on February 2 (4.0M), Indiana/Michigan State on February 19 (3.7), Miami/Duke on March 2 (3.4M), and the Louisville/Syracuse Big East title game on March 16 (3.4M).
The three Women’s Final Four games on ESPN each had double-digit declines in viewership compared to last year.
