If you’re a fan of women’s college basketball, here’s the news you’ve been waiting for for a while: The women’s title game moves to ABC.
The 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Game will air on ABC. athletic Learned from the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sunday, April 2nd at 3pm. The Final Four semifinal matches will air on March 31 at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM on ESPN.
“We are committed to 2023 and 2024. These are the only two tournaments remaining under our contract with the NCAA,” said ESPN’s programming and original content manager, which has pushed for the change. President Burke Magnus said, “Under presumption, we certainly hope so, and we hope to renew and extend our contract, which includes the women’s tournament, and of course continue this as
The Women’s Final Four received network coverage on CBS throughout the 1980s and early 1990s (many of the semi-final matches were tape-delayed). CBS said it would drop Show Women’s Final Four since 1995. The deal increased the number of nationally televised tournament games, and ESPN has arguably helped grow the game since then. (ESPN said he paid $500 million in 2011) 14 year contract It will cover the Women’s Tournament, College World Series and 22 other championships. )
South Carolina and U Conn ESPN’s garnered 4.85 million viewers. This is the most watched female title her game for almost 20 years. The game peaked at 5.91 million viewersThe 2022 semi-final averaged 2.7 million viewers, up 21% year-on-year and was the most-watched semi-final round of the decade. (To show the power of this women’s tournament her property: This year’s Stanley Her Cup Finals averaged 4.6 million viewers on ABC).
The 2023 Women’s Basketball Tournament is unique in that the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds will be played in a two-host format, with eight teams playing in Greenville, South Carolina and eight in Seattle. (The championship will follow this two-site regional format through 2027.) This will increase attendance in the arena and make TV scheduling easier. ESPN aired his 2021 tournament on her ABC for the first time, with two first-round matchups and his four Sweet 16 games available on the broadcast network.
Magnus said the 2020 women’s basketball tournament was the first year to have a national window for all games of the tournament, but plans changed after the pandemic canceled the tournament. He said ESPN hopes to continue promoting high-profile women’s championships such as softball, volleyball, gymnastics and lacrosse to earn his window on more visible television.women’s basketball tournament Most advanced when it comes to proof of concept for viewership Given that large number.
“Sunday prime time is a big night of entertainment for broadcast networks, and they’ve been committed to going out for years. In this case, ‘American Idol.’ A while ago we started the process of trying to clear the ABC in some way and that’s why we focused on the afternoon it became a joint conversation with the NCAA obviously they were on Friday night They’ll play the semi-finals in primetime, but if they come back and play late Sunday afternoon, that’s certainly plenty of rest.
Magnus said ESPN officials are considering the possibility of acquiring the title game for ABC Primetime and have no intention of ruling it out in the future.
“The planets need to align a little there,” said Magnus. “Now Sunday is one of ABC’s best nights, as it’s been for a while with Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, and more. , we get the best of both worlds here by leading to news coverage and Sunday night’s primetime lineup. And I’m happy to be able to move forward from there.”
(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)
