Oklahoma softball's four-peat vs. Texas was ESPN's most-watched WCWS on record | Report
Oklahoma softball's victorious 2024 Women's College World Series was record-breaking in more ways than one.
Patty Gasso's Sooners squad not only was the first Division I softball team to win four straight WCWS national championships, but also contributed to record viewership for ESPN's coverage of the biggest stage in college softball. According to a report from Awful Announcing, the 2024 WCWS between OU and rival Texas averaged 2 million viewers per game, making it the most-watched Women's College World Series on record.
It was a 24% year-over-year increase in viewership from the 2023 WCWS, and a 3% increase from the 2015 WCWS, previously the most-watched championship series. It went three games between Michigan and national champion Florida.
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Per Awful Announcing, Wednesday's Game 1 between the Sooners and Longhorns — an 8-3 victory for Oklahoma — averaged 1.9 million viewers. It not only saw a 46% increase in viewership from 2023, but also was the most-watched Game 1 in Women's College World Series history.
The more closely contested Game 2, an 8-4 victory for Gasso's team, averaged 2 million viewers on Thursday and was the fifth most-watched game WCWS game on record. Per Awful Announcing, ESPN was also able to deliver strong returns on its dedicated streaming service, ESPN+: They were the second- and third-most watched softball games in history for the platform.
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OU's chase for history almost certainly was a contributing factor to ESPN's record viewership for the Women's College World Series, as the Sooners followed up the most dominant single season in college softball history with the most dominant dynasty in the sport. OU's seniors won four titles and went 21-4 in the Women's College World Series. The fact they were the No. 2 seed against No. 1 overall Texas — which claimed the regular-season series over the Sooners — also was a likely contributor.
Still, the 2024 WCWS also followed record viewership for another marquee women's sporting event. The 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament saw the most-watched women's basketball game in the Final Four between Iowa and UConn while the national championship game between the Hawkeyes and South Carolina set viewership records as well.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma softball's four-peat vs. Texas ESPN's most-watched WCWS ever | Report
