2022 March Madness, a special edition with great audience numbers

This year March Madness was not the same; two elements appeared to change the previous structure and system. The introduction of the NIL rights deals and the gender equity claims made this edition a remarkable event, not just in sporting terms but in general for the universities context in the United States.

It was a huge expectation to follow the tournament in this context, and the audience numbers prove it. The women’s NCAA basketball tournament delivered its highest ratings since 2004. According to ESPN, 4.85 million viewers watched the final, with a peak audience of 5.91 million in the victory of South Carolina over Connecticut, becoming the most-watched women’s title game since 2004. The average viewership for the championship game was up 18 per cent on the 2021 edition and 30 per cent in 2019. The final match also generated the fourth-largest audience since ESPN took on exclusive coverage of the women’s tournament in 1996.

Furthermore, the 2022 NCAA Women’s Final Four was the most-watched Final Four weekend since 2012, averaging 3.46 million viewers, up 20 per cent from 2021. Nick Dawson, ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions, mentioned, “ESPN’s commitment to women’s basketball has never been stronger and this year’s viewership numbers are a clear indication of the growing popularity of the sport and the NCAA Women’s Tournament.”

In the men′s tournament, the game of The University of Kansas defeating the University of North Carolina was the most-watched March Madness final ever on US pay TV. According to Turner Sports, an average audience of 18.1 million viewers witnessed the final. This was a 4% viewership increase on?the?16.9 million viewers interested in the 2021’s final between Gonzaga and Baylor.

The final of the 2022 men′s edition is now the third most-watched game on pay-TV in the tournament’s history. In fact, this year’s semifinal between UNC and Duke is the second. The first position is the 2015 Final Four game between Wisconsin and Kentucky, with a 22.6 million audience.

The positive audience numbers helped the NCAA to generate more than US$410 million in media value for brands during telecasts. Across the 134 tournament games, brands also earned more than 187 hours of cumulative exposure, excluding commercials.

Once again, March Madness prove how attractive it is to the audience, the numbers don′t lie, and the NCAA know it.?