Women’s sports is on a roll, and Saturday’s South Carolina vs. UConn NCAA Women’s National Championship was no different. The highly anticipated showdown between the Gamecocks and Huskies was the third-most watched women’s championship on ESPN platforms ever, with 8.5 million viewers.
The game peaked at 9.8 million viewers, up from 75% from the same matchup on ESPN in 2022. ESPN’s Bird & Taurasi Show contributed 703K viewers.
NCAA Title Game and Tournament-Breaking Viewership Records
2025’s NCAA women’s college basketball tournament was the second most-consumed in history, with 8.5 billion minutes, according to an ESPN press release. It was the third most-watched women’s college basketball tournament for ESPN platforms since exclusive rights were acquired in 1996, with preliminary audiences finishing up 22% from 2023.
All eyes on women’s hoops 🏀
South Carolina vs. UConn was the third-most watched NCAA Women’s National Championship on ESPN platforms EVER.#MarchMadness x #WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/ww3lfZIBtN
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 8, 2025
While the numbers for this year’s championship are impressive, Paige Bueckers’ star power is dwarfed by that of Caitlin Clark. The women’s basketball superstar drew the two largest audiences in women’s college basketball history in each of her two NCAA title game appearances, with 18.9 million in 2024 against South Carolina and 9.9 million in 2023 against LSU.
2023 was the first time a women’s college basketball national championship game drew over five million viewers, and 2022’s numbers were just below that.
ESPN acquired exclusive rights for the women’s college basketball tournament in 1996. The championship games will air on ESPN networks from 2020-22 and on ABC from 2023-25.
This year’s Final Four matchups also drew historic numbers. UConn’s defeat of UCLA drew an average of 4.1 million viewers, and South Carolina’s victory over Texas averaged 3.6 million, landing in the top 10 best audience viewership for ESPN platforms.
KEEP READING: Which Power 5 Women’s Basketball Transfers Will Make the Biggest Impact in 2025?
ESPN and the NCAA signed an eight-year agreement valued at almost $1 billion in 2024. The deal includes exclusive rights to women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s gymnastics, softball, baseball, FCS football, and other championships.
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