Women's March Madness finds foothold on national TV
Mar 17, 2023
Ratings for women's college basketball are at their highest levels in years
With hopes of a separate television contract in upcoming negotiations, the women's NCAA Tournament keeps gaining momentum.
The national title game returns to network television for the first time since 1995, with an ABC broadcast on April 2 from Dallas and a one-hour pregame show.
ABC will feature at least six games from the women's tournament, including two first-round games Saturday and a pair of second-round contests Sunday.
“Putting it on ABC, we're giving it the best opportunity for success,” said Dan Ochs, who handles women's basketball programming for ESPN. “This tournament continues to grow and deliver for us.”
South Carolina’s 64-49 victory over Connecticut in last year's title game averaged 4.85 million viewers on ESPN — the most-watched women’s championship game since 2004. It was also the fourth-largest audience for the title game since the network began airing the entire tournament in 1996.
The 2022 women's tournament overall averaged 634,000 viewers per game, a 16% increase over 2021, with many of the rounds seeing their highest averages in more than 10 years.
ESPN has every reason to believe those numbers can increase: Regular-season games on the network averaged over 190,000 viewers, making it the most-viewed regular season since 2015. And a matchup of two undefeated teams on Feb. 12, in which South Carolina topped LSU, was the most-watched regular-season women's game since 2010 with an average of 1.47 million viewers.
Advertising for the tournament has sold out for the second straight year, ESPN said, with 15 broadcast sponsors and nearly 100 advertisers.
It's the third year that all of the women's NCAA Tournament games will have national air time between ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. The staggered start times and multiple channels brings it in line with the men's tournament in terms of access.
Up until 2019, ESPN used regional windows during the first two rounds, with the games mostly on ESPN or ESPN2.
ESPN's current contract to broadcast the women's tournament expires next year. Right now, the women's tournament is part of a package with 28 other title events and does not include the men's tournament. ESPN pays $34 million per year for the championships package, which it agreed to in 2011.
The NCAA is expected to decide by the fall if the women's tournament will become a separate entity, along with how the other championships may be divided.
___
AP March Madness coverage:
https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
andhttps://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll
andhttps://twitter.com/AP_Top25
More News
Claes Bang, Emma Mackey, Vicky Krieps and More Join Marion Cotillard in Marrakech Jury
Marrakech Film Festival has revealed the lineup of the jury, which is led by Marion Cotillard, as previously announced. Judging the winners of the Étoile d’Or from among the 14 films in competition will be Danish actor Claes Bang, who gained international recognition for his turn in Ruben Östlund’s “The Square,” which won the Palme […]
‘Hamnet’ Play From Royal Shakespeare Company Sets First U.K. Tour
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage version of “Hamnet,” Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about William Shakespeare’s family and the death of his 11-year-old son, will tour the U.K. for the first time starting in September 2027. Fiery Angel and Neal Street Productions are presenting the RSC production, which previously played London’s West End. […]
Bollywood Romance ‘Weekend’ Eyes First Indian Feature Shoot in Russia’s Yakutia as Picture Perfect Signs MoU With Sakhafilm, Saidam Baryl (EXCLUSIVE)
Indian romantic drama “Weekend” is eyeing a shoot in Russia’s remote Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, after producer Vivek Singhania’s banner Picture Perfect signed a memorandum of understanding with local outfits Saidam Baryl and Sakhafilm to explore taking the production there. The three-way MoU was signed during the recently concluded 9th Yakutsk International Film […]
Nicole Kidman To Receive Honorary César In France
Nicole Kidman will be feted with an Honorary César at the 52nd César Ceremony in Paris in February 2026. She follows in the wake of Jim Carrey (2026) Julia Roberts (2025), Christopher Nolan (2024), David Fincher (2023) Cate Blanchett (2022), Robert Redford (2019) and George Clooney (2017). The Australian actress has worked with a number […]
‘Bridgerton’ Star Adjoa Andoh Creating & Starring In ITV Detective Drama ‘Protect And Serve’
EXCLUSIVE: Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh is swapping Shonda Rhimes’ regency wonderland for an ITV detective drama. Andoh is creating her first drama series, Protect and Serve [working title], with Time scribe Helen Black. Andoh will play the lead, DI Araba Dadzie, a cop, mother and daughter. Araba is in the squeezed middle of her life, […]
‘The Bureau’ Producer Federation Studios Moves to Recapitalize as Lionel Uzan Succeeds Pascal Breton as President
Federation Studios, the Paris-based group behind French spy series “The Bureau,” is overhauling its finances and leadership, with co-founder Lionel Uzan succeeding Pascal Breton as president and Montefiore and the company’s financial shareholders set to take majority control. The company said Thursday that it settled on the plan after weighing a number of strategic alternatives. […]
James Bond Producer Barbara Broccoli to Be President of U.K.’s National Film and Television School
James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has been revealed as the next president of the U.K.’s National Film and Television School. She succeeds Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam in the role. Broccoli will be the first female president in the NFTS’s history. Puttnam, whose credits include “Chariots of Fire,” “The Killing Fields” and “Midnight Express,” is to […]
Barbara Broccoli Appointed President Of UK’s National Film & Television School
EXCLUSIVE: Barbara Broccoli has been named the first female president of the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS). The storied James Bond producer becomes President just a few weeks before the opening of a building dedicated to her father, the legendary Cubby Broccoli. Barbara Broccoli will build on her longstanding relationship with the NFTS […]
Lionel Uzan Succeeding Pascal Breton As President Of Federation Studios; Montefiore Ups Stake
Federation Studios’ Lionel Uzan is taking the reins at the French entertainment giant with Pascal Breton stepping back, as Montefiore Investments becomes a majority shareholder. Federation, which had been seeking a huge cash injection of hundreds of millions of euros for the past couple of years, will have a new structure with an increase of […]
Russell Brand Documentary From ‘Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story’ Producers Set at Netflix Days After Rape Sentencing
Netflix has unveiled a documentary on Russell Brand, days after the comedian and former actor received a prison term of 10 years and six months for rape and sexual assault. “Russell Brand: Open Secret” is directed by Olivia Isaacs and produced by Fremantle-owned 72 Films, the company behind “Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story.” The […]
‘I Play Rocky’ Opens 50th Anniversary Edition of Cairo Film Festival as Chief Hussein Fahmy Looks to the Future
As the Cairo Intl. Film Festival celebrates 50 years since its founding, president Hussein Fahmy wants younger Egyptians to rediscover their country’s rich cinematic heritage. For the veteran actor, introducing new audiences to the films that established Egypt as the Arab world’s cinematic capital is central to the festival’s future. Speaking to Variety ahead of […]
Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan play an occasionally thrilling game of cat-and-mouse in Apple's 12 12 12
Apple TV's heist show 12 12 12 might be built on tropes, but it's got style to spare and great performances by Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan.