Now that Caitlin Clark has moved on to the WNBA, the NCAA’s Final Four TV ratings have collapsed compared to what they saw last year during Clark’s final year in college.
The NCAA women’s basketball tournament Final Four saw a steep decline in ratings this week compared to 2024.
According to the numbers, the broadcasts of UConn vs. UCLA and South Carolina vs. Texas brought in only 3.9 million viewers on ESPN. That is a 64 percent decrease from the record set last year of 10.8 million during Clark’s final NCAA tournament, Fox News reported.
Of note, though, this year’s tournament is still the second-most watched in NCAA women’s basketball history, showing just how popular women’s basketball has grown in the last few seasons.
Still, the steep drop-off in ratings for a tournament without Clark is notable and shows what Clark brings to her sport.
The NBA has already witnessed the Clark effect.
Per Fox News:
In Clark’s first regular-season finale against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 19, the 20,711 fans that showed up at Capital One Arena set a new record for the highest-attended WNBA regular-season contest.
Clark drew a WNBA record 1.84 million viewers to her first playoff game against the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 22, while competing with an NFL Sunday. She followed it up with another record audience of 2.54 million viewers for Game 2.
Clark has brought a wave of new fans and a new popularity to women’s basketball.
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