WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NCAA gearing up for next WBB media rights deal at just the right time (Front Office Sports)

[Kevin Knight]

Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports has a nice breakdown on why the most recent ratings success of the 2023 NCAA WBB Tournament couldn't have come at a better time.

The championship game drew an average of 9.9 million viewers on ABC — a women’s basketball record and just a few million shy of the men’s championship game.

But it wasn’t just the final. The semifinals, which averaged 4.5 million viewers, also set a record — and every round of the women’s tournament saw double-digit increases. The tournament saw a 55% average increase from last year.

The staggering viewership “elevated this event into the upper echelon of broadcast television sports — above any MLS game, two of the six New Year six bowls, and any Stanley Cup game over the past 50 years,” Collegiate Sports Management Group COO Ray Katz told Front Office Sports.

The NCAA's current deal with ESPN expires after the 2024 tournament, but is bundled with multiple other championships to pay out a paltry $34 million per year. This is despite the estimate value for the WBB tournament by itself being estimated at $81-$112 million in value.

Per the article, the NCAA is weighing whether it makes sense to sell the WBB rights as a stand alone product or if it is needed to prop up the other sports in the package. Additionally, ESPN will have an exclusive negotiating window first to try and keep it as part of the existing agreement, but in order to maximize the total offer, multiple bidders are needed to ensure the highest offer regardless of what the estimated value is.