South Carolina-Iowa championship game draws in nearly 19 million viewers, breaking rating records

The national championship game between South Carolina and Iowa smashed ratings records after averaging nearly 19 million viewers, ESPN said. 

The South Carolina Gamecocks beat college superstar Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75, finishing the season undefeated. An average of 18.9 million viewers turned on the final, making it the most watched women's college basketball game ever, according to data from Nielsen, ESPN said Tuesday. The epic finale, which was broadcast on ABC and ESPN, peaked at 24.1 million viewers in the game's final 15 minutes. 

ESPN said viewership also significantly increased from the two most recent women's national championship games – up 90% from 2023 and 289% from 2022.