Ratings Roundup provides a summary of the latest rating developments drawn from industry reports and press releases. This week, the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship garnered 18 million viewers, marking the highest viewership since 2021. ESPN celebrated a successful conclusion to its 2024-25 women’s college basketball season, featuring the third-most watched National Championship game. Additionally, Luka Dončić’s return to Dallas was the most-viewed non-Christmas Day NBA game on ESPN this season, among other highlights.
NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Draws 18 Million Viewers, Highest Since 2021 on CBS
The NCAA men’s basketball national championship on Monday, featuring Florida versus Houston, achieved an average rating of 9.2 and attracted 18.1 million viewers on CBS. This represents the most-watched men’s college basketball game since the 2021 title game and the highest ratings since the 2019 championship. The previous records for viewership were set during the 2022 Final Four. The tight contest peaked at 21.1 million viewers, making it the third-largest basketball audience in five years, trailing only last year’s women’s title game and the men’s Olympic gold medal match.
ESPN Concludes Successful 2024-25 Women’s College Basketball Season
ESPN wrapped up its 2024-25 women’s college basketball season in Tampa, with the national championship between UConn and South Carolina attracting 8.6 million viewers. This figure is up 76% from their last championship encounter in 2022 and marks the third-highest viewership for a women’s championship game on ESPN. The game peaked at 9.9 million viewers as UConn clinched its record 12th NCAA title.
During Championship Sunday, the fan-favorite show, Bird & Taurasi Show Presented by AT&T, garnered 716,000 viewers. Preceding the championship game, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Capital One attracted 2 million viewers. Following the game, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Post-Game Show Presented by Nissan recorded 721,000 viewers.
This year’s NCAA Women’s March Madness averaged 1.2 million viewers across its 57 games on ESPN platforms, an increase of 22% from 2023 and 89% from 2022. This tournament featured the most games ever shown on ESPN platforms, and marked the third highest viewership for a women’s NCAA Tournament in history, following the record-breaking 2024 season.
Luka Dončić’s Return to Dallas is ESPN’s Most-Watched Non-Christmas Day Game This Season
Luka Dončić’s highly anticipated return to Dallas attracted 2.26 million viewers, making it ESPN’s most-watched NBA game of the season, not including Christmas Day. The matchup featured the Lakers and peaked at 2.79 million viewers, marking a 71% increase compared to the same game from last year. It was the top program of the game for viewers across various demographics, including males aged 18-34 and 25-54.
FS1 Reports Strong Viewership for NASCAR Cup Series Weekend
Denny Hamlin secured his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory at Darlington Raceway, drawing 2,517,000 viewers on FS1. This represents a 15% increase from last year’s equivalent weekend. The race also peaked at 3,099,000 viewers and was the most-watched cable telecast of the day.
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Matchup Achieves 2.5 Million Viewers
The recent matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers attracted 2.5 million viewers across TNT, truTV, and Max, reflecting a 67% increase from last year’s comparable game. This game ranked as the second most-watched NBA regular season game on cable this year, excluding Opening Night and Christmas Day, making it the most viewed program overall among viewers under 50.
