Women’s Tournament Early-Round Ratings Down From 2024, Still Strong

The first two rounds of the women’s March Madness tournament showcased the upward trajectory of the sport, though, perhaps expectedly, they couldn’t live up to last year’s lofty benchmarks.

First Round

The opening round averaged 367,000 viewers across ESPN networks, the second-most-watched first round since 2013. Those numbers are down 22% vs. last year but up 43% from 2023.

The most-watched first-round game this year was between UConn and Arkansas State, which drew 1.1 million viewers on ABC—the third-most-watched women’s first-round game in history despite the Huskies winning by 69 points. 

This year’s first round was the most lopsided in history with an average victory margin of 26.5 points, the most of any non-title round. Only 7 of the 32 first-round games were decided by fewer than 10 points.

The most-watched first-round game was Caitlin Clark and Iowa’s opener last year against Holy Cross, which drew 3.2 million viewers.

Round of 32

The second round averaged 982,000 viewers, down 30% from the 1.4 million average last year but up 60% from 2023. It’s the second-most-watched round of 32 on record.

UConn vs. South Dakota State led the way with 1.7 million viewers on ESPN. South Carolina vs. Indiana drew 1.4 million viewers on ABC while USC and Mississippi State, Monday’s late-night game on ESPN when JuJu Watkins tore her ACL, drew 1.3 million viewers. The three games were in the top 10 most-watched second-round games on record, with the UConn game in fifth.

The Maryland vs. Alabama game, a double-overtime thriller on ESPN2, peaked at 1.6 million viewers during the second OT.

The top four all came last year. Clark and Iowa drew 4.9 million viewers on ESPN in a close game against Virginia that was tied with under three minutes remaining. UConn vs. Syracuse (ESPN), LSU vs. Middle Tennessee (ABC), and USC vs. Kansas (ESPN) all had more than 1.75 million viewers.

Despite the loss of Watkins for the rest of the tournament, the Sweet 16 will feature a few major matchups, as no team below the No. 5 seed advanced. Notable games include Duke vs. North Carolina, TCU vs. Notre Dame, and UConn vs. Oklahoma.