• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Why Is the Women’s Title Game Stuck With an Afternoon Broadcast Spot?

  • The women’s national championship game will be played at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
  • ABC and ESPN will have non–-March Madness programming in prime time.
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Depending on how the cards fall in Friday night’s women’s Final Four games in Cleveland, viewers very well could be served up an all-time classic final of a national championship Sunday: Caitlin Clark, in her final collegiate game, against undefeated South Carolina, with multiple presentations on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+. So, why, then—given the extraordinary audience numbers already delivered in the Elite Eight—is that game slated to air at 3 p.m. ET? 

Conventional wisdom suggests that such a hyped event would be worthy of a prime-time audience, at least somewhere across Disney’s numerous platforms. When reached for comment, an ESPN spokesperson would only note that the women’s college basketball games “have seen success both in the afternoon and evening.” A fair point: Last year’s title game at the same time slot drew a then record 9.9 million viewers. But couldn’t that be even higher later in the day or evening?

While a source with knowledge of Disney’s programming structure suggests to Front Office Sports that nothing is off the table as plans are made for next year, they point out that ESPN doesn’t have carte blanche access to prime-time windows on ABC. That real estate is controlled by another division of the company. A Disney spokesperson declined to comment on any future plans.

Channel Surfing

After Sunday’s championship game finishes, ABC’s schedule lineup includes local programming, news, America’s Funniest Home Videos, American Idol, and What Would You Do? ESPN will carry a postgame studio show before transitioning to long-running MLB programming in Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball, followed by the NHL.

Come next week, all eyes will be on the final viewership numbers for the Final Four and championship game, as this is the first year that the audience figures for the women’s tournament could be higher than the men’s tournament, which will conclude on TBS.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

opinion

ESPN-NFL Deal Still Contends With a Wild Card: Trump’s Approval

Negotiations between the NFL and Disney have been ongoing for four years

Belichick Bump Creating Record UNC Ticket Prices

The cost of seeing the NFL legend’s college coaching debut is soaring.
Jul 26, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) walks to the dugout after the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Target Field.

MLB’s Biggest Buyers in Frantic Deadline Weren’t Top Markets

Teams besides the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees dominate MLB’s trade deadline.
Happy Gilmore 2

Is ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Really About LIV vs. PGA Tour?

The movie’s main plotline may sound familiar to many golf fans.

Featured Today

Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to the crowd as they take on the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at TD Garden.

WNBA Viewership Up Across All Networks Compared to 2024

Non-Fever games are up 37% compared to the full 2024 season.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky guard Kia Nurse (11) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the second half at United Center.
July 29, 2025

Fever-Sky Draws 1.5M Viewers Despite Clark, Reese Absences

Clark and Reese both missed the game due to injury.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) celebrates winning Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
July 30, 2025

Amazon, TNT Post Near-Identical NASCAR Ratings in Debut Season

The cable channel is a new media-rights partner this season.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 29, 2025

WBD Restructuring Shows What’s Old Is New Again

WBD will become Warner Bros. and Discovery Global as two separate entities.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
July 24, 2025

CBS Sports to Get New Owner As Skydance Merger Clears FCC Hurdle

The long-awaited, but highly debated, merger gains regulatory approval.
Dec 7, 2024; New York, New York, USA; A general view of Times Square during the MLS Cup Times Square Watch Party prior to the game between the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.
July 24, 2025

MLS Reveals Apple TV Streaming Numbers, Raising Questions

The league gives a rare glimpse inside the high-profile streaming pact.