Women’s March Madness viewership continues to skyrocket with this year’s regional rounds — while the men’s tournament experiences a slight decrease.
Women’s Sweet 16 viewership on ESPN went up a whopping 73% compared with last year for an average of 1.3 million per game, according to the network. Elite 8 viewership increased 43% for an average of 2.2 million viewers per game.
- The top Sweet 16 matchup was Ohio State’s upset of UConn, which garnered 2.4 million viewers on ABC.
- During the Elite 8, Louisville-Iowa drew 2.5 million.
Both games set all-time viewership records for their respective rounds.
Meanwhile, the men’s tournament on CBS/Warner Bros Discovery continues to draw more overall fans than the women’s — but viewership is declining.
The men’s Elite 8 saw a 14% decline compared with last year’s rounds, according to Sports Business Journal. In total, the men’s tournament viewership is down slightly.
However, the numbers are a healthy increase from the tournament played during the height of the pandemic in 2021.
