The momentum continues to build for women’s college basketball. Sunday’s NCAA Women’s Championship game between the UConn Huskies and South Carolina Gamecocks captured the third-largest audience in the sport’s history, averaging 8.5 million viewers across ABC and ESPN. This impressive figure trails only last year’s record 18.9 million viewers for the South Carolina-Iowa matchup and 9.9 million viewers for the LSU-Iowa game in 2023, both of which prominently featured superstar Caitlin Clark.
Fans tuned in to Sunday’s #NationalChampionship rematch between @UConnWBB & @GamecockWBB 🏆
2025 also marks the second most-consumed #NCAAWBB Tournament on record (8.5B minutes) pic.twitter.com/wipejw7VRo
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 7, 2025
In terms of percentages, Sunday’s game saw a 55% decrease compared to last year’s exceptional ratings and a 14% decline versus 2023. Nevertheless, this year’s viewership increased by 75% compared to 2022 (4.85 million viewers), which also featured a UConn vs. South Carolina game. That matchup was the last to air in primetime exclusively on ESPN, without ABC as the primary broadcaster. Additionally, ESPN’s alternate broadcast with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi attracted 703,000 viewers, contributing to this year’s total.
While experiencing double-digit declines relative to the previous two years is concerning, it is crucial to contextualize the growth of the women’s college basketball tournament. Prior to 2023, the championship game had not surpassed five million viewers since 2004. Now, for three consecutive years, it has significantly exceeded that mark, even without the blockbuster presence of Caitlin Clark.
Throughout the tournament, ESPN has maintained strong viewership. The first and second rounds were the second most-watched on record, only behind last year’s tournament, and the Sweet 16 also saw record viewership. Similarly, the Final Four and Sunday’s championship game were among the third most-watched in history.
The sport appears to be establishing a new baseline after the record-breaking viewership driven by Caitlin Clark in previous years. According to ESPN, the overall audience for this year’s tournament was up 23% compared to the 2023 edition, though it declined relative to last year. Comparisons to tournaments before 2023 will generally look very favorable. With a more viewer-friendly Sunday afternoon ABC slot and growing interest in a post-Clark era, it seems that sub-five million viewer audiences for the women’s title game are becoming a thing of the past.
