Women’s college basketball scored a slam dunk with viewers, creating a TV ratings boom during this year’s NCAA March Madness. For the first time ever, the NCAA women’s title game had more viewers than the men’s.
An average of 18.9 million viewers watched the women’s final to see the South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75 on ABC and ESPN. The audience peaked at 24 million viewers, making it the most-watched college women’s basketball game since 1992.
To give you some perspective, this year’s viewership was up 89% compared to last year, and up 285% compared to 2022.
The men drew just 14.8 million viewers, as the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 on TBS, TNT, and TruTV.
Women’s Sports & Advertising: A Winning Combination
The women’s final game didn’t just smash viewership records, but ad engagement went through the roof compared to last year:
- Final Four was up 97%
- Sweet Sixteen was up 61%
- First two rounds of Elite Eight were up 40% and 12%
Brands and marketers are seeing the value in women’s sports and have been moving to get onboard. This was especially evident during the recent NCAA Final Four. This year’s NCAA Women’s tournament featured star players, storylines, big games, and big shots. According to Disney, who owns ESPN and ABC, the tournament had so much interest from advertisers, ad revenue doubled from last year.
Disney easily sold out its ad inventory, with a total of 87 advertisers, including Google and Home Depot. Disney capitalized on the increased interest in women’s basketball and encouraged advertisers to spend ad dollars on other women’s sports like volleyball, soccer, and softball.
ABC and ESPN aren’t the only networks seeing an increased interest in women’s sports, Amazon Prime Video just extended its WNBA exclusive streaming deal for two more years. Last year Fox sold its advertising faster than previous years for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup due to increased interest in women’s sports.
Advertisers Are Getting in on the Action
Brands across all sectors are directing more of their ad budgets towards women’s sports.
Ally financial services firm is partnering with Disney in a multi-million dollar deal that promises a 90% investment solely in women’s sports. Frito-lay is getting involved in the WNBA and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. They even created “Cracker Jill” along with a 30-second TV spot as a way to raise the visibility of girls and women in sports.
Game-Changing Paid Media
With viewership numbers in women’s sports increasing, now is the time to get in on the action. Marketing Doctor offers a unique insight into this arena. Whether it’s advertising during live games on traditional media, or streaming services we can position to get your brand the attention it deserves.
Marketing Doctor has existing relationships with broadcast, cable, and streaming vendors who are scooping up rights to women’s sports properties. Our track record and relationships can get your brand in a position to support women’s sports and tap into this growing audience.
Sound like the gameplay for you? Contact us!
Women’s college basketball scored a slam dunk with viewers, creating a TV ratings boom during this year’s NCAA March Madness. For the first time ever, the NCAA women’s title game had more viewers than the men’s.
An average of 18.9 million viewers watched the women’s final to see the South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75 on ABC and ESPN. The audience peaked at 24 million viewers, making it the most-watched college women’s basketball game since 1992.
To give you some perspective, this year’s viewership was up 89% compared to last year, and up 285% compared to 2022.
The men drew just 14.8 million viewers, as the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 on TBS, TNT, and TruTV.
Women’s Sports & Advertising: A Winning Combination
The women’s final game didn’t just smash viewership records, but ad engagement went through the roof compared to last year:
- Final Four was up 97%
- Sweet Sixteen was up 61%
- First two rounds of Elite Eight were up 40% and 12%
Brands and marketers are seeing the value in women’s sports and have been moving to get onboard. This was especially evident during the recent NCAA Final Four. This year’s NCAA Women’s tournament featured star players, storylines, big games, and big shots. According to Disney, who owns ESPN and ABC, the tournament had so much interest from advertisers, ad revenue doubled from last year.
Disney easily sold out its ad inventory, with a total of 87 advertisers, including Google and Home Depot. Disney capitalized on the increased interest in women’s basketball and encouraged advertisers to spend ad dollars on other women’s sports like volleyball, soccer, and softball.
ABC and ESPN aren’t the only networks seeing an increased interest in women’s sports, Amazon Prime Video just extended its WNBA exclusive streaming deal for two more years. Last year Fox sold its advertising faster than previous years for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup due to increased interest in women’s sports.
Advertisers Are Getting in on the Action
Brands across all sectors are directing more of their ad budgets towards women’s sports.
Ally financial services firm is partnering with Disney in a multi-million dollar deal that promises a 90% investment solely in women’s sports. Frito-lay is getting involved in the WNBA and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. They even created “Cracker Jill” along with a 30-second TV spot as a way to raise the visibility of girls and women in sports.
Game-Changing Paid Media
With viewership numbers in women’s sports increasing, now is the time to get in on the action. Marketing Doctor offers a unique insight into this arena. Whether it’s advertising during live games on traditional media, or streaming services we can position to get your brand the attention it deserves.
Marketing Doctor has existing relationships with broadcast, cable, and streaming vendors who are scooping up rights to women’s sports properties. Our track record and relationships can get your brand in a position to support women’s sports and tap into this growing audience.
Sound like the gameplay for you? Contact us!
