MARCH MADNESS
Iowa - LSU sets TV ratings record: How many people watched Caitlin Clark’s game?
Caitlin Clark made it worth it for the millions who tuned in to watch Iowa play LSU in the Elite Eight game on Monday, setting a TV ratings record.
The Elite Eight showdown between Caitlin Clark’s Iowa and Angel Reese’s LSU on Monday night had all the storylines for a historic game, and it delivered. The rivalry between these two players after last year’s championship saw LSU defeat Iowa brought in millions of viewers, and broke the all-time ratings record for a women’s college basketball game.
How many people watched Caitlin Clark’s Iowa vs LSU game?
According to ESPN, the Iowa vs LSU Elite Eight game was the “most-watched college basketball game EVER on ESPN platforms” with 12.3 million viewers, and a peak of 16.1 million viewers. It was also ESPN’s highest audience for any basketball game since the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The previous ratings record for women’s basketball was 11.84 million in 1983 when USC beat LSU’s current coach Kim Mulkey’s Louisiana Tech in the NCAA championship final.
These numbers show a 127% increase in the average women’s NCAA tournament game from year to year, according to a news release from Disney, with an average of 1.5 million viewers throughout this year’s Elite Eight.
“Just being able to be a part of history is great. Playing against another great player, of course, is always amazing, and our viewership going up,” said Reese after the game. “And I’m sure so many different people watched us tonight. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to keep raising women’s sports, not just women’s basketball, but women’s sports in general.”
It was worth it for those who tuned into the 2023 championship rematch, as Caitlin Clark put up 41 points to avenge Iowa and take the victory over LSU. They’ll face UCONN in the Final Four this Friday.