Last week, Nielsen reported the championship game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes — which aired on ESPN and ABC — had an estimated 18.9 million viewers. Nielsen stated it was the most watched women’s college basketball game ever.
ESPN also confirmed the South Carolina-Iowa matchup was the most viewed men’s or women’s college basketball game ever on its platforms.
What’s more, ESPN stated the three final games of the tournament, including the Final Four round and the championship game, averaged 13.8 million viewers, which was the most-viewed on record. Viewership for the three games, according to ESPN, was up 114 percent year-over-year and 299 percent over 2022.
The four teams that competed had several marketable stars with name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. For instance, Caitlin Clark of Iowa signed a NIL deal with Nike in October 2022. Also, South Carolina freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley signed with Curry Brand — the Under Armour-backed label of NBA star Steph Curry — in March.
And UConn — the team that faced Iowa in the Final Four round — had several players with NIL deals on its roster. Paige Bueckers, for example, signed with Nike in September 2023, and also has a deal with StockX that was announced in November 2021. Plus, Aaliyah Edwards signed with Adidas in February, Caroline Ducharme joined women’s-only basketball shoe brand Moolah Kicks in October 2022 and Azzi Fudd signed with SC30 Inc. — the organization that is responsible for all of Curry’s off-court opportunities — in December 2021.
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