Big numbers last year set the stage for big declines this year for the Women’s College World Series.
Game 3 of the Oklahoma/Auburn WCWS earned 1.5 million viewers on ESPN Wednesday night, down 35% from Florida/Michigan last year, which generated the tournament’s second-largest audience since at least 1990 (2.3M). Viewership for the previous Game 3, Oklahoma/Alabama in 2012, was not immediately available.
Last year’s Women’s College World Series delivered record-high viewership on ESPN, both for the overall tournament and the three-game final. Four of the event’s nine largest audiences since 1990 came last season alone. In addition, Wednesday’s game aired opposite the NBA Finals, while last year’s finale faced competition from the lower-rated Stanley Cup Final.
It should be no surprise that this year’s tournament could not measure up, even after Auburn’s dramatic comeback victory in Game 2 Tuesday night. All three games of the series fell double-digits from last year.
(Thu. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
