Women's Sweet 16 & Elite 8: Second Most Watched Behind Caitlin Clark Era
Last week's March Madness Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games outperformed many critics predictions. According to ESPN's Press Room report and Nielson, the Sweet 16 games averaged 1.7 million viewers and the Elite Eight captured 2.9 million viewers, which both were up 39% respectively from 2023.
As the data continuously points to, when women's basketball is given the larger national platforms it shines. ABC saw its second-best Sweet 16 on record with 2.7 million viewers and ESPN averaged 1.4 million viewers, delivering the second-best Sweet 16 ever, down only 3% year-over-year.
Furthermore, as the parity continues as the tournament field narrows, the viewership continues to increase. ABC averaged 3.2 million viewers over the Elite Eight games which was a 17% year-over-year increase and ESPN solidified its second-best Elite Eight with 2.6 million viewers.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - MARCH 29: Rori Harmon #3 of the Texas Longhorns reacts during the second half ... More against the Tennessee Lady Vols in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 29, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by)
On March 28, No. 1 seeded South Carolina's battle against No. 4 Maryland captured 1.7 million viewers on ESPN. On March 29, No. 2 TCU faced No. 3 Notre Dame on ABC, ESPN+, and Disney+ to 2.5 million viewers, peaking at 3.5 million viewers, making it the fourth most watched Sweet 16 game on record.
Directly following TCU and Notre Dame, No.1 Texas squared off against 5 Tennessee and drew an average of 2.9 million viewers, peaking at 3.6 million viewers. This match-up was the third most watched Sweet 16 game on record.
This year delivered four of the top 10 most watched Sweet 16 games of all time, including the three games above in Birmingham Regional 3, and out of Spokane Regional 4, No. 2 UConn defeated No. 7 Oklahoma to 1.9 million viewers on ESPN on March 29.
For context, the games on March 29 were directly competing against multiple MLB games, NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway, the men's March Madness tournament, and The PGA Tour's Houston Open.
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 30: Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins reacts in a game against the LSU ... More Lady Tigers during the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Spokane Arena on March 30, 2025 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Tyler McFarland/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The most watched Elite Eight matchup out of Spokane Regional 1 was between No. 1 overall seed UCLA and No. 3 LSU to 3.4 million viewers on ABC, ESPN+, and Disney+ and peaked at 4.4 million on March 30. This was the third most watched Elite Eight game on record.
The battle of the border states between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2 Duke out of Birmingham Regional 2 drew 3.1 million viewers on ABC, ESPN+, and Disney+, peaking at 4.1 million viewers and the fourth most watched Elite Eight game on record.
Additionally, despite the absence of JuJu Watkins, the highly anticipated game in Spokane Regional 4 between No. 1 USC and No. 2 UConn on March 31 captivated an audience of three million on ESPN and peaked at 3.4 million.
Overall, the women's March Madness tournament has been averaging 967,00o viewers through the Elite Eight which is up 47% from 2023. Thus, it will be no surprise if during the Final Four the viewership also surpasses that of previous years before 2023 and any records previously held outside of the 2024 season that saw the likes and draws of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
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