Women’s Elite Eight Ratings Down 53%, Still Top Pre–Caitlin Clark Years

The women’s March Madness ratings trend continues: down from the Caitlin Clark–driven 2024 tournament but up compared to other years.

The Sweet 16 games averaged 1.7 million viewers across ESPN networks, the second-most-watched Sweet 16 on record. Last year still holds the record with a 2.4 million average inflated by the 6.9 million viewers for Iowa vs. Colorado on ABC. This year’s viewership is down 29% but up 39% from the 1.2 million in 2023.

The 2025 ratings were driven by the ABC doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Texas and Tennessee, which tipped at 3:30 p.m. ET, drew 2.9 million viewers. The TCU vs. Notre Dame game that preceded it drew 2.5 million viewers.

UConn was not involved in the most-watched game of the round for the first time in this tournament, though it’s in part because their game did not get the free TV slot. Their Saturday afternoon game against Oklahoma, which saw Paige Bueckers drop 40 points, drew 1.9 million viewers on ESPN.

Maryland vs. South Carolina was the most-watched game from the Friday slate, which averaged 1.7 million viewers on ESPN. 

ESPN games this year were down just 3% compared to last year.

Elite Eight

This year’s quarterfinals were also the second-most-watched iteration of the round with a 2.9 million viewership average. They were down significantly (53%) from the 6.2 million viewers last year, though up 34% from 2023. Despite the decline compared to last year, all four of this year’s games are among the 10 most-watched Elite Eight games on record.

Ratings for this year’s Elite Eight games:

• UCLA vs. LSU (ABC): 3.4 million
• South Carolina vs. Duke (ABC): 3.1 million
• UConn vs. South Carolina (ESPN): 3 million
• Texas vs. TCU (ESPN): 2.3 million

Last year’s Elite Eight featured the rivalry game between Clark and Iowa vs. Angel Reese and LSU, a rematch of the 2023 national championship game, which drew 12.3 million viewers on ESPN. It was the most-watched women’s basketball game on record at the time, surpassed only by Iowa’s Final Four and title games that followed.