"Caitlin Clark is just at leading edge of a new generation": Fox Sports exec "not sure" NCAAW will gather same viewership after her WNBA move
Caitlin Clark seems to be breaking a new record whenever she sets foot on the court. After becoming the NCAA all-time scoring leader by breaking LSU great Pete Maravich's points record, Clark has had plenty of collaboration invites, including one from Spire Motorsports.
However, one of the most significant impacts Clark's on-field efforts have had is on women's basketball viewership. According to Sportico, women's games average 981,000 viewers, while men's games stand at 946,000. Fox's women's basketball featured 14 games for the first time, breaking another record.
Fox's Michael Mulvihill has his say on viewership record
According to Fox president of insights and analytics Michael Mulvihill, women's college basketball viewership was up 60% on national networks and 48% on the network.
Speaking on "The Colin Cowherd Podcast," Mulvihill told host Colin Cowherd that he is unsure if NCAAW will get the same viewership once Clark leaves.
“Once Caitlin moves onto the WNBA, I’m not sure that we’ll see viewership at the collegiate level that’s exactly what we’re seeing this year, but I don’t think it’s a reset back to where we were five years ago either,” Mulvihill said. “I think a permanent step forward has happened, and we’re still going to see some pretty strong interest in the future.
“She’s at the forefront of an evolution in the skill level that we see in women’s basketball. Whether that’s Paige Bueckers … or JuJu Watkins, who has several years to go at Southern Cal and obviously will be part of the Big Ten next year, I think (Clark) is just at the leading edge of a new generation of players that are elevating the game.”
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Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes break viewership record
Iowa's matchup against Ohio State recorded 3.39 million viewers, which was also the highest TV turnout for a regular season women's basketball game in 25 years. At one time, the game had 4.42 million viewers, making it the most-watched women's college basketball contest.
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Do you think the viewership skyrocketed only because of Caitlin Clark?