Last Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center, everything came full circle. Two teams led by two women coaches locked horns with each other in the NCAA Division 1 Volleyball Championships. Does it cause goosebumps? It should be the first time in four decades that NCAA volleyball witnessed such an occurrence, a complete all-women volleyball final. Eventually, the trophy went to a woman coach, another record in NCAA volleyball history. After three days of the final, you may have come across such information. But there’s something more. 

Everyone watches women’s sports. The Paris Olympics have stamped this statement. The women’s artistic gymnastics final is an example. Continuing that momentum in the midst of a demanding NFL schedule was not expected to be easy. After all, football has garnered so much craze among the fans. The stardom quotient is also something otherworldly. Then how could a woman’s volleyball final defeat such a behemoth in the scale of earning viewership? 

First, the collegiate volleyball season saw tremendous success this year in attracting viewership. That’s a fact. The 20-game season had a phenomenal run among the fans. But wasn’t it a brave act to expect the number to turn to watch the NCAA volleyball championship final? Remember, the semifinal round eliminated the fan-favorite Nebraska Huskers. Furthermore, the NFL season is in full swing now. Yet, the finale amassed a stunning number of viewers.

Yes, everyone really watches women’s sports. As per ESPN PR’s X-post, 1.3 million watched the NCAA volleyball final on the ABC network. This is the second-highest number in the NCAA Volleyball Championship viewership. Hold on! The list of numbers isn’t over yet. 

The update says that 1.3 million fans tuned in to watch the game between Penn State and the Louisville Cardinals. But here’s the catch: the game peaked at 1.9 million spectators. Something magical! Undoubtedly, the game’s tag helped to attract viewers. However, the number has its own distinct location. The NCAA Volleyball Championship 2024 final is the third most-watched collegiate volleyball event on record. But can you guess which game still holds the #1 spot in the NCAA volleyball championship? 

The game between the Texas Longhorns and the Nebraska Huskers! With a viewership of 1.7 million, the 2023 final NCAA volleyball game is still at the top. The form continued to this year’s regular season as well. ESPN’s data says that in the regular season, 1.4 million tuned in to watch the games on average. The game between the Huskers and the Badgers claimed the crown of the most-watched regular-season volleyball game on ESPN. Year-on-year, the average viewership number jumped 21%. The numbers followed in the NCAA regional stage. But that was something unexpected. Why?

In the first half of December, the NFL season was at its peak. That had the might to disrupt the volleyball party. Additionally, the regionals’ timetable had an issue. The timing hadn’t been foolproof. Either they crossed with NFL games or the odd schedules, like office hours or late nights. Still, the games thrived on viewership. The regional semifinal between the Huskers and Dayton had 617,000 viewers. It was scheduled late at night. The stint continued for the NCAA volleyball semifinals. 

Again, the Nebraska Huskers headlined. In the semifinal game between the Huskers and the Penn State Nittany Lions, 1.2 million tuned in. In the NCAA volleyball semifinal, that was the highest number ever achieved. Meanwhile, the game between the Cardinals and the Panthers had 1 million viewers. The number boosted the flow, a 4% YoY increase. Now the data of the final game viewership solved the math. Hold on! The success had its price. Want to know about that? 

The rose of NCAA Volleyball came with thorns

Everything went so smoothly in the NCAA Division 1 Volleyball Championships. Fans saw the rise of the giant killers and also the players living their lives fully on the court. The broadcast suited the occasion by providing extra lenses to watch the sport and live the moments. But those experiences came at a tremendous price. How?

ESPN had the responsibility to broadcast the NCAA semifinal games on its exclusive platform. But the fans had to spend an enormous amount of dimes to watch those games on the platform. The paywall restricted the visibility of the games. ESPN didn’t have any free plan active to allow the fans to watch the games for free. In the first and second rounds, ESPN+ had the responsibility to broadcast. However, in the next rounds, ESPN took over the baton completely. The result? A huge number of fans lost the chance to watch the games live because of the unbearable subscription charges. Now, nobody can guess about the probable result in the absence of paywalls. Isn’t it? What do you think about this?