Iowa-UConn women’s Final Four semifinal most-watched hoops game in ESPN history; 14.2M avg. viewers

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Iowa’s 71-69 victory over UConn at the women’s Final Four on Friday night (April 5, 2024) averaged 14.2 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-viewed women’s basketball game on record and the largest audience for an ESPN basketball broadcast. The previous women’s hoops mark was 12.3 million for last Monday’s Iowa-LSU game in the Elite Eight. Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference finals between Cleveland and Boston was ESPN’s most-watched basketball game at 13.51 million. That makes it one of the most-viewed games in any sport other than college football and the NFL over the past couple years. Last year’s NCAA men’s title game between San Diego State and UConn averaged 14.79 million.