With the result almost a foregone conclusion, fewer viewers watched UConn win yet another title.
Tuesday’s Connecticut/Notre Dame Women’s NCAA Tournament National Championship Game drew 3.1 million viewers on ESPN, down 28% from the same matchup last year (4.3M) and down 4% from Connecticut/Louisville in 2013 (3.2M). Keep in mind last year’s title game was the first between undefeated teams.
The Huskies’ win ranks as the least-watched women’s championship game since Connecticut/Louisville in 2009 (2.7M), and the third-least watched since ESPN began airing the event in 1996 (20 telecasts). Only the 2009 game and Tennessee/Rutgers in 2007 (2.9M) earned a smaller audience.
Connecticut has now played in three of the four least-watched title games on ESPN.
While the championship game declined by double-digits, Sunday’s national semifinals both increased. Connecticut’s win over Maryland drew 2.4 million viewers on ESPN, up 4% from Connecticut/Stanford last year (2.3M) but down 21% from Connecticut/Notre Dame in 2013 (3.0M). The early game between Notre Dame and South Carolina drew 2.0 million, up 12% from Notre Dame/Maryland last year (1.8M) but down 11% from Louisville/Cal in 2013 (2.3M).
