NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament TV Ad Impressions Catch Fire

At least partly thanks to the hype around Iowa's Caitlin Clark, the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament delivered 103.5% more TV ad impressions, according to data from iSpot. While the men's event saw ad reach dip in part as that tournament wore on and there were fewer games, the data shows the women's event actually gained ad impressions in the second weekend – with minimal drop-off for the Final Four and National Championship.

• The Home Depot (4.64% of TV ad impressions) and AT&T Wireless (3.67%) were the top advertisers during women's tournament games; impressive as The Home Depot didn't advertise during the women's event at all last year.
• While later-round men’s games scored high TV ad impressions, reach was far more dependent on the team(s) involved, competitiveness of the game and the network the game appeared on than the specific round.
• Since top-seeded and popular teams are more likely to advance further in the women’s tournament, advertisers could bank on reach growing throughout this year's event.
• That said, Clark also helped net some big wins for brands both early and later in the tournament, and appeared in six of the top 10 women's games by TV ad reach.