One dimensional basketball phenom, Caitlin Clark, is shouldering her way into sporting headlines.
The talismanic player’s on-court performances, are causing seismic shifts in women’s college basketball viewership, now boasting record numbers for Fox Sports.
Caitlin Clark powers Fox to another record audience https://t.co/gILauyCVj5 pic.twitter.com/TJUW1agf6X
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 14, 2024
Fox Sports recently revealed that Clark’s match-winning performance for Iowa against Maryland attracted an average of 1.578 million viewers.
Thus, writing a new chapter in the network’s history; the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever.
Saturday’s FOX Primetime Hoops game ft. @IowaWBB & @TerpsWBB scored 1,578,000 viewers on FOX – the most-watched women’s college hoops game in FOX Sports history 🏆
PLUS, the “Caitlin Clark Cam” – @FOXSports' alternative viewing experience on TikTok – earned over 800K views ⛹🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/hvJgzvL6un
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) February 6, 2024
This underscores the Caitlin Clark effect elevating the popularity of women’s college basketball.
Aside from traditional broadcasting, The “Caitlin Clark cam” on TikTok also made waves, reportedly securing over 800K viewers.
The measurement parameters for TikTok views aren’t clear-cut, but regardless, these numbers signal Clark’s spiraling influence in the digital space.
Clark’s captivating performance isn’t just a one-off with Fox Sports. Her earlier game between Iowa and Ohio State on NBC and Peacock amassed 1.93 million viewers, the highest for a regular-season women’s college basketball game since 2010.
Clark and Iowa may not have graced ESPN’s highest-rated game this regular season, namely South Carolina’s triumph over LSU, yet, they’ve held their own on Fox.
Flexing the power of the Hawkeyes and Clark this season, Fox aired another women’s game in primetime featuring traditional powerhouses Notre Dame and UConn.
However, it drew less than half of the audience that tuned into watch the Iowa-Maryland game, proving the magnetic pull of Clark.
As the season progresses, marquee matchups expected to draw significant viewership include UConn-South Carolina on Sunday, February 11 on ESPN and the Iowa-Ohio State rematch on Sunday, March 3 on Fox.
It will be intriguing to observe whether Caitlin Clark’s soaring popularity continues to translate into increased viewership numbers.
