With ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ at an All-Time High, ESPN Covers NCAA Women’s March Madness From All Angles

Busy opening weekend will deploy a variety of production models  

Coming off the most-watched women’s-basketball regular season in more than a decade, ESPN’s Women’s March Madness broadcasts are expected to draw an unprecedented number of eyeballs over the next three weeks. And ESPN’s production team will be treating them accordingly. In addition to pulling out all the stops to chronicle generational talent Caitlin Clark, ESPN will deploy one of its largest Women’s NCAA Tourney productions ever, covering a multitude of storylines.

“Of course, we’ll incorporate Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in our coverage a fair amount,” says Sara Gaiero, VP, production, ESPN, “but the women’s game is rich with compelling storylines this year, and it’s our responsibility to bring all those stories to our fans. While Caitlin Clark might draw a great amount of coverage, we will not forget about the other amazing stories in the game. There are many dynamic storylines that we will cover over the next three weeks.”

The lion’s share of the attention is certainly being heaped on the Iowa strato-star, but ESPN’s production team will have no shortage of storylines to cover during the 67-game tournament: from undefeated South Carolina to LSU looking to defend the title to the return of UConn’s Paige Bueckers from injury to an unprecedented freshman class that includes JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, and Madison Booker.

This year’s tournament will feature more games on ABC and ESPN than ever, and ESPN will produce a record 19 studio shows during the championship. On the digital front, The Wrap-Up Presented by AT&T will offer in-depth analysis of each day’s games across ESPN YouTube, ESPN Facebook, and the ESPN app.

“We are riding great momentum into our March Madness coverage,” Gaiero notes, “and expect more viewers to tune in over the next few weeks to see how great and strong the game of women’s basketball is right now.”

Opening Weekend: ESPN ‘Air-Traffic Controllers’ Keep Planes in the Air

This weekend will be a true team effort across the tournament’s 16 host sites and ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT. A variety of production models will be deployed for the opening-round games: five REMI productions, four with onsite trucks, four with third-party packagers, and three with on-campus college-athletics control rooms. Technical and operational setup has gone smoothly at all sites, Gaiero says, and she expects the same next weekend for Regionals, when ESPN will have a mobile unit on hand in both Albany, NY, and Portland, OR.

“We often compare this weekend to working as air-traffic controllers: you are looking to land the planes and get them back out there smoothly, efficiently, and quickly,” she explains. “It requires clear, concise, and specific communication between our remote sites and studio teams. Our operational and technical teams are grinding in the field to put our production teams in a position to be successful.”

On opening weekend, most games will feature five cameras and three EVS replay systems; for Regionals, that will be upped to 10 cameras and five EVS systems. In terms of specialty cameras, ESPN will use a Sony HDC-4800 with Fuji HZK-1000 lens and a Sony F5500 handheld with Canon 17-120mm cinema lens on a handful of games.

As has been the case all season, ESPN plans to provide fans with as much behind-the-scenes access as possible throughout its broadcasts, including in locker rooms, on bus rides, and during in-game interviews.

“We’ll continue to lean into access and capture the journey these student athletes are on,” says Gaiero. “Seeing and experiencing these moments adds to the excitement and drama around the tournament.”

The Caitlin Factor: How ESPN Will Surround the Biggest Story in College Sports

For Clark and Iowa State’s first-round matchup against Holy Cross at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA, on Friday, ESPN has enhanced its coverage with additional cameras and super-slo-mo replays and will dedicate reporter Holly Rowe to contributing across platforms from Iowa. Additionally, The Pat McAfee Show is broadcasting live from Iowa City on Friday.

“It’s exciting to see the kind of cross-platform coverage for the women’s tournament, especially in the early rounds,” says Gaiero. “Caitlin Clark is a household name beyond the sports world. She is a superstar who resonates across so many demographics. The exposure she has brought to the women’s game is unprecedented.”

The Road to the Final Four: ESPN Has Epic Plans for Cleveland

The robust setup that ESPN plans for the Final Four in Cleveland April 5-7 comprises a large compound with approximately five mobile units, 20-25 cameras, and 8-10 EVS operators. In addition, studio talent and the production team will be fully onsite, along with an edit team to produce creative elements. ESPN will roll out both an indoor set and an outdoor set in the Party on the Plaza fan area at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and its digital team will produce a live show from Cleveland.

ESPN’s one-of-a-kind production of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship will deploy multiple platforms as part of its signature MegaCast presentation across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPN+. Fan favorite The Bird & Taurasi Show Presented by AT&T, featuring collegiate and WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, returns for its third year on ESPN2 and ESPN+ for the semifinal games and will air on ESPN and ESPN+ for the championship. Among additional MegaCast feeds on ESPN+, “Beyond the Rim” will provide an aerial camera view with the main telecast commentary and replays supported by an enhanced statistical feed, and “On the Rail” will track game action along one full length of the floor with natural sound and replays. ESPN Saturday’s open practices of the two championship-bound teams will air on ESPN2, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.

“The entire operation at the Final Four is big and growing,” says Gaiero, “and we are pumped to produce great games and shows. We are well-positioned to document at a very high level whatever teams advance to Cleveland.”

Riding the Wave: Regular Season, Conference Championships Hit New Heights

ESPN is coming off a record-breaking women’s-hoops regular season, which was the most-watched since 2008-09 and up 37% over last year. It was also the most-consumed season on record for the ESPN family of networks. In addition, ESPN’s conference tournaments were remarkably successful, capped by highly rated championship games that attracted nearly 4 million viewers on March 10. And all five ESPN Women’s College Gameday shows outpaced viewership for all shows last season.

“Our game productions and studio shows were extremely well done,” says Gaiero. “We consistently hit on the top stories throughout the season and provided robust coverage of South Carolina, Caitlin Clark, and this dynamic freshman class.

“We’re seeing superstars emerge in the women’s basketball space like we haven’t ever seen,” she continues. “There are many recognizable WCBB athletes now. The parity in the game is high, the product on the court is outstanding, and these athletes have found a way to amplify the game in so many ways that it’s hard to avoid women’s basketball right now.”

Looking Ahead: Visibility and Investment Are Key for ESPN

Spend some time on ESPN’s Bristol campus, and you’re bound to hear the phrase “It’s not a moment, it’s a movement” in regard to the rise of women’s sports over the past 12 months. It’s a mantra that Gaiero and her team take to heart in delivering this year’s tournament to a growing women’s-basketball fanbase.

“Visibility and investment are the two ways ESPN can continue to advance the game,” says Gaiero. “We have covered these athletes’ careers for the better part of the past four years, and we have the great benefit of continuing to tell their stories when they get to the WNBA. The more we at ESPN continue to elevate these stories on our platforms, it will help grow the game in so many positive ways.”