How Rupert Murdoch Changed Sports Media Forever
The upward trajectory of college women’s gymnastics viewership continues.
This year’s NCAA Gymnastics Championship — which saw the Oklahoma Sooners take home their second consecutive title — was the most-viewed ever on ESPN’s platforms, the network announced on Tuesday.
The event, broadcast on ABC, drew an average of over one million viewers for the first time. It averaged 1.02 million viewers, peaking at 1.32 million.
That’s 10% more than last year’s championship, which had set the previous record averaging 992,000 viewers. Last year’s social media engagement on ESPN’s platforms also notched multiple milestones.
This year’s event also topped the most-watched XFL game of the weekend, which averaged just shy of 900,000 viewers, according to ESPN.
However, the viewership numbers aren’t the only impressive metric in the sport. At least five gymnasts, like UCLA’s Jordan Chiles and Auburn’s Sunisa Lee, ranked in the top 15 for women’s sports athlete NIL earning potential, according to On3’s annual earning projections.
LSU’s Olivia Dunne and Lee also rank in the top 15 for any college or high school athlete.
