Hants thrash Surrey to reach Women's One-Day Cup final

TNT reported record ratings for the women's FIBA World Cup final, as an average of 1.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the United States defeat France in the gold medal match in Germany. The game peaked at 1.5 million viewers, marking it as the third most-watched women's World Cup game overall. The championship match coincided with the start of the NFL season and the U.S. Open men's final.

According to Craig Barry, executive vice president and chief content officer for TNT Sports, "It's a little bit of the planets aligning." The success of the tournament is attributed to the growing prominence of women's sports in recent years, particularly driven by the popularity of the WNBA, which has seen a surge in ratings this season, thanks in large part to star players like Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, and Angel Reese.

The U.S. roster featured numerous WNBA players. The American three-point victory over Italy secured the highest rating of the tournament, with 1.3 million average viewers and a peak of 1.7 million. Both the games and the tournament were broadcast on TNT and HBO Max, the latter securing four of the most-watched women's basketball games.

Ratings for the U.S. quarterfinal win over Hungary, which began at 5:30 a.m. EDT, were not available due to the early start time. Prior to this World Cup, the highest ratings for a tournament game were during the 2022 gold medal match between the U.S. and China, which drew 446,000 viewers on ESPN. TNT's announcers called the games remotely from the U.S., while sideline reporter Allie LaForce provided reports from Berlin.

Additionally, TNT featured a studio show. This marked the first time that TNT held the rights to the women's World Cup, and they also secured the men's tournament for next year. Barry emphasized, "We take a lot of pride in putting resources, assets, personnel around things." The accomplishment extends beyond Team USA, as it showcases the appeal of the teams fans love and the excitement of witnessing them compete.

Over the course of two weeks, TNT's commitment paid off, resulting in the five highest-rated World Cup games ever.