ESPN Platforms Scores Second Most-Watched First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Women’s Tournament on Record

First Round

• First Round averaged 367,000 viewers, up 43% from 2023
  • Second most-watched First Round since 2013 trailing only behind last year’s historic season
• The average margin of victory from the 2025 First Round was +26.5, the highest for any single round in NCAA Tournament history (excluding championships)
• ABC scored its second-best First Round on record – averaging over one million viewers
• ESPN saw its second-best First Round since 2008 – averaging 469,000 viewers

Second Round

• Second Round averaged 982,000 viewers, up 60% from 2023
  • Second most-watched Second Round on record behind only 2024
• ESPN averaged its third best Second Round on record with 991,000 viewers
• ESPN2 averaged 755,000 viewers across two games, its best Second Round since 2010
• South Dakota State/UConn, Indiana/South Carolina and Mississippi State/USC all rank within the Top-10 for most-watched Second Round games on record
• The Alabama/Maryland game on ESPN2 peaked with 1.6 million viewers in the second overtime

Through First Two Rounds

• Through two rounds, the 2025 Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament is averaging 602,000 viewers, the second-highest audience through this point since 2009
  • 1 billion total minutes viewed through the first two rounds, marking the second most-consumed early rounds on record