• Loading stock data...
Monday, August 11, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Women’s March Madness Enters Year 1 of Polarizing Rights Deal

The women’s tournament is valued at $65 million per year until 2032. The men’s tournament is valued at $1.1 billion per year.

David Butler II-Imagn Images

The 2025 Women’s March Madness tournament is a historic one: It’s the first under the eight-year, $920 million contract extension between ESPN and the NCAA.

The deal, which was signed in January 2024, was for 40 NCAA championships. The women’s basketball tournament was its centerpiece, valued at $65 million per year, nearly twice as much as the $34 million average payout received in its previous deal. 

The extension followed a 2023 tournament that averaged 983,000 viewers on ESPN networks, up 55% from the previous year, including a championship game between Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and Angel Reese’s LSU Tigers that drew nearly 10 million viewers

While the deal was a sign of the women’s tournament growth, it still received criticism. There was a belief that women’s March Madness was still undervalued and that it should earn a separate deal from other NCAA championships, similar to the men’s. A gender equity report commissioned by the NCAA in 2021 estimated the women’s tournament could be worth $81 million to $112 million per year on its own.

That criticism only grew after the 2024 tournament, which took place just months after the media-rights extension was signed and surpassed perhaps even the most optimistic women’s basketball supporters’ expectations. 

Women’s March Madness Full Tournament Viewership Average

  • 2024: 2.2 million (+121%)
  • 2023: 983,000
  • 2022: 634,000
  • 2021: 546,000 

The 2024 women’s tournament final famously outpaced the men’s championship game, drawing 18.9 million viewers on ABC.

The men’s March Madness tournament will also have its eight-year media-rights extension with CBS and TNT kick in this year—a deal agreed upon way back in 2016—worth an average of $1.1 billion per year, nearly 17 times as much as the women’s annual deal.

However, there were a few reasons for the relatively low price of the women’s deal. When negotiations started in 2022, spending was somewhat constrained, as seen by ESPN’s decision to pass on the Big Ten. The Pac-12 overestimated its value that year and lost most of its schools.

NCAA president Charlie Baker also told Front Office Sports that it was important to leverage the women’s tournament as a way to lift the championships of other sports. “I wanted the best deal for everybody,” Baker said after the deal was announced.

But a key point in the deal was the timing of the end of it: 2032, the same year as the men’s championship. This would allow the NCAA to negotiate the deals simultaneously and potentially amend any inequities between the two tournaments.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Caitlin Clark Feels ‘Responsibility’ to Play With Ratings, Tickets in Mind

Caitlin Clark has missed 13 of 32 regular-season games this season.
Chad Ochocinco

Shannon Sharpe, Chad Ochocinco Settle $20 Million Defamation Suit 

It’s the second multimillion-dollar lawsuit Sharpe has settled in recent weeks.

WNBA Struggling to Prevent Repeat Dildo Incidents

The league appears to have no answers to the copycats plaguing games.

Featured Today

Dec 14, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; President Donald Trump wave during the second quarter of the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field

‘Political Gold’: Trump Putting His Stamp on College Sports 

Trump has embraced executive action on hot-button college sports issues.
August 3, 2025

Inked Under Anesthesia: Athletes Getting $50,000 Tattoos

High-end studios, elite artist teams, and hours under anesthesia.
Coco Gauff at New York Liberty
August 2, 2025

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.

Three Schools Sue Mountain West, Commish Over Withheld Funds

Boise State, Colorado State, and Utah State intensified the court battle.
May 4, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; The BYU Cougars against the Long Beach State 49ers at St. John Arena
August 4, 2025

Federal Judge Tells Stephen F. Austin to Reinstate Women’s Sports Teams

Schools may not be able to follow through on threats of cuts.
August 4, 2025

March Madness Fields Will Stay Put at 68—at Least Until 2027

NCAA tournament expansion is still on the table for 2027.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
Stanford
August 1, 2025

John Donahoe Taking Over Stanford Sports After Rocky Nike Tenure

John Donahoe will be Stanford’s AD after a four-year stint running Nike.
NCAA Track
July 31, 2025

NIL Collectives Can Still Pay College Athletes, With Some Restrictions

NIL collectives will still play a pivotal role in recruiting.
Rutgers
July 28, 2025

Rutgers Finds New Athletic Director After Almost a Year

Rutgers’s previous athletic director, Pat Hobbs, resigned in August 2024.
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Mitchell Evans (88) runs the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
July 25, 2025

‘More Bark Than Bite’: What Trump’s Executive Order Means for College Sports

“This all comes down to Congress and the courts.”