Beyond the best NCAA Women’s Basketball championship game audience in nearly 20 years, ESPN networks’ coverage of the complete women’s tourney was up 16% this year (634,000 viewers in ’22). That included an average of 2.7 million viewers for the semifinals on Friday night, which is the best figure in a decade. The event saw its best early-round average on record, as well as its best Elite Eight round yet.
NOTES: College basketball TV consumption was up 20% season-over-season across men’s and women’s games (all networks). That figure includes conference tourneys and March Madness. ... College basketball TV consumption was up 20% season-over-season across men’s and women’s games (all networks). That figure includes conference tourneys and March Madness.
The chart below lists viewership figures for select recent sports telecasts.
| TELECAST | DATE | NET(S) | TIME (ET) | VIEWERS (000) |
| NCAA Tournament: Final Four: North Carolina-Duke | 4/2 | TBS/TNT
/truTV |
8:39-11:12pm | 18,500 |
| NCAA Tournament: Final Four: Kansas-Villanova | 4/2 | TBS/TNT/ truTV |
6:00-8:14pm | 12,200 |
| NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: South Carolina-UConn | 4/3 | ESPN/ESPN2 /ESPNU |
8:00-10:20pm | 4,854 |
| NASCAR Cup Series (Richmond) | 4/3 | Fox | 3:47-7:15pm | 3,958 |
| NCAA Women's Tournament: Final Four: UConn-Stanford | 4/1 | ESPN/ ESPNU |
9:32-11:43pm | 3,228 |
| NBA: Nuggets-Lakers | 4/3 | ABC | 3:41-6:15pm | 2,887 |
| FIFA World cup qualifier: Mexico-El Salvador | 3/30 | Univision/ TUDN |
8:32-11:04pm | 2,369 |
| PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open: final round | 4/3 | NBC | 2:00-6:00pm | 2,324 |
| "NASCAR RaceDay" | 4/3 | Fox | 3:00-3:47pm | 2,318 |
| NCAA Women's Tournament: Final Four: South Carolina-Louisville | 4/1 | ESPN
/ESPNU |
7:00-9:08pm | 2,158 |
| NBA: Mavericks-Bucks | 4/3 | ABC | 1:00-3:41pm | 2,113 |
| NCAA Women's Tournament: Elite 8: UConn-N.C. State | 3/28 | ESPN | 7:00-9:49pm | 2,037 |
| NBA: Suns-Warriors | 3/30 | ESPN | 10:10pm-12:47am | 1,692 |
| PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open: third round | 4/2 | NBC | 3:19-6:30pm | 1,690 |
| NCAA Women's Tournament: Elite 8: Louisville-Michigan | 3/28 | ESPN | 9:49-11:15pm | 1,607 |
| NBA: Bucks-Nets | 3/31 | TNT | 7:30-10:17pm | 1,532 |
| NBA: Heat-Celtics | 3/30 | ESPN | 7:44-10:10pm | 1,375 |
| NHL: Penguins-Avalanche | 4/2 | ABC | 3:15-6:00pm | 990 |
| "NBA Countdown" | 4/3 | ABC | 12:30-1:00pm | 913 |
| Liga MX: Club America-Necaxa | 4/2 | Univision/ TUDN |
9:07-11:09pm | 886 |
| Professional Bull Riders: Last Cowboy Standing | 4/3 | CBS | 12:00-1:00pm | 871 |
| Augusta National Women's Amateur: final round | 4/2 | NBC | 12:00-3:19pm | 859 |
| Bowling: PBA/USBC Masters | 4/3 | Fox | 1:00-3:00pm | 847 |
| High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships | 4/3 | CBS | 1:00-2:00pm | 678 |
| "March Madness Returns" | 4/2 | CBS | 2:00-3:00pm | 635 |
| Liga MX: Atlas-Cruz Azul | 4/2 | Univision/ TUDN |
6:55-9:07pm | 611 |
| College basketball: HBCU All-Star Game | 4/3 | CBS | 3:51-6:15pm | 578 |
| SailGP: U.S. Grand Prix (taped) | 4/2 | CBS | 3:00-4:00pm | 556 |
| College basketball: "The Loyola Project" | 4/2 | CBS | 1:00-2:00pm | 541 |
| TYR Pro Swim Series: Day 2 | 4/3 | NBC | 12:30-2:00pm | 537 |
| College basketball: "Big House, The Pearl and the Triumph of Winston-Salem State" | 4/3 | CBS | 2:00-3:00pm | 476 |
| NWSL Challenge Cup: San Diego Wave-Angel City | 4/2 | CBS | 4:00-6:00pm | 456 |
| College basketball: "HBCUs: 2nd Acts" | 4/3 | CBS | 3:00-3:30pm | 433 |
| "UFC Countdown" | 4/2 | ABC | 2:00-3:00pm | 428 |
| Liga MX: Tijuana-Tigres UANL | 4/2 | UniMas/ TUDN |
7:55-10:12pm | 343 |
