By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow |Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport

Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon title defense was a ratings winner for ESPN.

More: Alcaraz Dismisses Djokovic to Defend Wimbledon

The third-seeded Alcaraz needed only 2 hrs 27 minutes to defeat Novak Djokovic compared to the five-set, four hour, 42-minute final they staged in the 2023 final.

Yet Sunday's shorter final averaged 2.2 million viewers for ESPN.

On the ladies side, Barbora Krejčíková's 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini averaged 1.4 million viewers on ESPN. That represents an increase of 9% compared to last year when Markéta Vondroušová defeated Ons Jabeur in two sets.

Through the semifinals, Wimbledon coverage across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 recorded at a five-year high, up 9% year-over-year.

The Wimbledon men’s semifinals scored a 10% increase over 2023 and averaged 977,000 viewers, making it most-watched  Wimbledon final four since 2019.

For the entire tournament, 2024 Wimbledon coverage across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 677,000 viewers overall, up 5% from 2022, up 32% from 2021, and down 2% year over year due in part to a shorter length of the match compared to the five-set final in 2023 and four-set final in 2022.