Tehina Paopao #0 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with the trophy after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship on April 7, 2024.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photo (Getty Images)
For years, women's sports were an afterthought on television, often relegated to ESPN2, Fox Sports 2 or ESPNNews, even when they were able to secure TV rights. It was a self-reinforcing cycle of denial. Women's sports were not valued and therefore there was no demand for rights. However, the game was rarely played on the biggest platforms, so it was never able to realize its untapped potential.
But over the past year or so, new major rights deals in soccer and increased interest in women's basketball have left rights holders, stakeholders, and marketers alike demanding greater action, and the dam may have burst. it seems like.
Perhaps nothing exemplifies the growing interest in women's sports. The April 1 women's college basketball game between Caitlin Clark's University of Iowa and Angel Reese's LSU is a rematch of last year's championship game, with star power on both teams. court.
The game averaged 12.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched college basketball game in ESPN history and the most-watched basketball game (including the NBA) broadcast on ESPN since 2012. It became a number. That is, until the University of Iowa beat his UConn in April. 5 attracted 14.2 million viewers.
Sunday's final, in which the University of Iowa lost in a stunning game to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, is expected to even surpass that number thanks to ABC's Sunday afternoon time slot, setting the record for the largest number in the history of a women's sporting event. there is a possibility.
Flora Kelly, ESPN's head of research, wrote in a post about X: It shows momentum spreading throughout the bracket. ”
However, it took a long time to gain recognition from viewers.
“It's worth remembering that ESPN has held the rights to the women's basketball tournament for decades, but only now are they giving the game the visibility, resources, and programs it deserves. It only hurts your own investment. Remember that when you look at the ratings for these games,” former ESPN columnist Jane McManus wrote on LinkedIn. “This is something I witnessed firsthand there, and I also witnessed a lot of incredible champions of women's reporting who are struggling to find real traction. And at the same time, ESPN is no better than any other network. We have more women reporting and we have hired more women.”
But even before the Iowa-LSU game, interest in women's sports was growing. The National Women's Soccer League is launching new television rights deals this year with ESPN, CBS Sports, Prime Video and Scripps worth an estimated $60 million annually, giving all partners greater visibility and increased visibility. I promise.
Now, the WNBA is working with the NBA to negotiate new rights for Clark and Reese, who were selected in this year's draft.
On April 5, Prime Video, which has made sports a top strategic priority, announced a multi-year extension with the WNBA. The contract includes 21 games per season, including the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game.
And ESPN, the WNBA's other key rights partner, is equally enthusiastic.
“I've never been more bullish on women's sports, and I've never been more bullish on women's sports, and I've never been more bullish on women's sports,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in response to questions at the company's annual shareholder meeting on April 3. “I think it's clear that it's increasing in popularity,” he said, referring to Disney's reputation. Iowa State-LSU. “This is a tremendous, tremendous affirmation that proves that women's sports not only has arrived, but that its potential is huge. And ESPN is pleased to be a part of it and we look forward to I look forward to being a part of the growth of women’s sports for many years to come.”
ESPN Director Jimmy Pitaro expressed similar enthusiasm, speaking at an Axios event on March 19, saying the company expects to negotiate with the WNBA in conjunction with NBA rights negotiations.
Perhaps just as important as the new interest from TV rights partners is the interest from advertisers. While sports remains the hottest advertising platform, women's sports have long lagged behind leagues like the NBA and NFL, as well as the men's NCAA March Madness Tournament.
That is changing significantly.
“We root for the men and we root for the women. Many of our sponsors are tied to both facilities,” said TNT Sports, which owns the rights to the men's March Madness tournament and manages sports advertising sales. said John Diament, who heads the group. “Being an NCAA sponsor means we are partners with all 90 NCAA championships, including the women's championship, so we also have over a dozen sponsors operating on the women's tournament grounds. We wish them the best.''Even though it's on ESPN, they're part of the team. ”
Perhaps most importantly, on March 27, Group M (the world's largest media buying agency) will double its media investment in women's sport, creating a dedicated marketplace that will begin trading from Upfront this year. This is the announcement of a pledge.
Advertisers including Ally, Discover, Google, Mars, Nationwide, Unilever and Universal Pictures have all signed on to the initiative.
Dennis Ocasio, Executive Director of Investments at GroupM U.S., said, “Viewer numbers are rapidly increasing, and highly rated women's sports programs are now ranking at the top of overall ratings.'' said. “Advertising alongside women’s sports is also effective.”
But it all comes back to the media partners. Broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services not only air live games, but also produce shoulder programming and feature women's sports in documentaries, documentaries, highlight shows, and other programming.
It's about creating an ecosystem where women's sport can deliver audiences for rights partners, results for sponsors and national and international fame for its star players.
On April 4, during a media availability for the NCAA Women's Final Four, University of Connecticut star Paige Backers was asked who she thought would be the next big female star in the currently talented college basketball world.
“I think media coverage is important to the game. I think it grows the game. My freshman year, I was a media darling. Everyone talked about me and what I was doing in college my freshman year. I was really paying attention to what he did,” the Huskies guard said, noting that he was paying attention to himself, Clark, Reese and USC star JuJu Watkins. “But the media can do a better job of making sure everyone gets the love… by spreading it out more.” Looks like it's ready to step up
