or


[06/10/25 - 11:58 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NCAA Division I Women's College World Series on Record
The WCWS Finals, featuring Texas and Texas Tech, averaged 2.2 million viewers across linear as the Longhorns claimed their first national championship in the first three-game series since 2021.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NCAA Division I Women's College World Series on Record

· Most-watched NCAA WCWS Finals on record with 2.2 million viewers

· Championship Series Game 3 is most-watched NCAA softball game ever with 2.4 million viewers

· Overall, the WCWS was up 24% from 2024 season

· NCAA Softball Tournament finishes up 2% YoY

The 2025 NCAA Women's College World Series was one for the history books, as ESPN's presentation continued to showcase the growing popularity of the sport - from the first pitch in Oklahoma City through the championship dogpile.

The WCWS Finals, featuring Texas and Texas Tech, averaged 2.2 million viewers across linear as the Longhorns claimed their first national championship in the first three-game series since 2021. The 2025 WCWS Finals were the most watched on record and up 13% year-over-year from 2024's previous all-time high.

Game 1 of the WCWS Finals scored 2.1 million viewers, ranking as the most-watched WCWS Finals Game 1 ever. Wednesday's game was up 11% year-over-year and peaked with 2.8 million viewers as the Longhorns completed the come-from-behind victory. At the time, this marked the fifth most-watched college softball game ever on ESPN platforms and was the top cable telecast of the day among females 18-49.

Across ESPN and ESPNU, the second game of the WCWS scored 2.1 million viewers, the most-watched Finals Game 2 on record. The in-state battle surpassed Game 1 to sit as the fifth most-wanted college softball game ever on ESPN platforms and was up 5% from the Red River Rivalry in 2024. Thursday's game peaked at 2.6 million viewers and was the most-watched cable telecast of the day among people 18-49.

The Championship Series finale shattered the record book as the game averaged 2.4 million viewers. This goes down as the most-watched NCAA DI college softball game on record and helped ESPN win the night in primetime across broadcast and cable telecasts among females 18-49, 18-34 and 2-17. The previous high was 2.3 million for the 2007 WCWS Game 3 Final between Arizona and Tennessee.

Overall, the WCWS was up 24% from 2024, averaging 1.3 million viewers across 15 games on ESPN platforms. This marks the most-watched WCWS ever, surpassing 2021's previous all-time high.

A total of eight games surpassed the million-viewer mark, led by UCLA/Tennessee on June 1, which garnered 2.2 million viewers - with a peak of 3.9 million, to deliver the best non-Finals WCWS on record. The walk-off win for the Lady Vols also marked the best audience for a WCWS game in a decade.

Oklahoma/Texas (1.7M), Oklahoma/Texas Tech (1.6M), Oregon/Oklahoma (1.2M) and Texas Tech/UCLA (1.0M) were the additional pre-finals games that eclipsed a million viewers.

Throughout the course of the entire WCWS, ESPN+ viewership was up 10% YoY.

#RoadtoWCWS Viewership Success

The entire three-week NCAA Tournament averaged 591,000 viewers across ESPN linear platforms, up 3% year-over-year. That marks the best NCAA Softball Tournament audience since 2021.

· Super Regionals
· The top 3 games of the 2025 NCAA Softball Super Regionals include:

· Tennessee vs. Nebraska (May 24) - 994,000 viewers

· ESPN's fourth-best Super Regional game on record

· Oklahoma vs. Alabama (May 24) - 957,0000 viewers

· Oregon vs. Liberty (May 24) - 807,000 viewers

· Regionals
· The top 3 games of the 2025 NCAA Softball Regionals include:

· Liberty vs. Texas A&M (May 18) - 518,000 viewers

· Texas vs. Michigan (May 17) - 484,000 viewers

· LSU vs. SE Louisiana (May 17) - 475,000 viewers
· ESPN+ viewership was up 5% year-over-year during the Regional round

- 30 -





  [june 2025]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).
[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.
[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.
[05/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 27 - The Hunt Continues as "Apex" Takes No. 1 for a Second Week
Plus: Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but "Man on Fire" served it up hot, reaching No. 1 on the English TV list with 11 million views.
[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.
[05/01/26 - 08:05 AM]
NBC Sports' NBA Playoff Viewership on NBC & Peacock Up 58% vs. Comparable Coverage Last Year Through First 13 Games
This is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.
[04/30/26 - 02:17 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers Sunday Morning and in Late-Night
ABC News' "Nightline" ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers (931,000) for the week of April 20.
[04/29/26 - 04:01 PM]
"American Idol" Scores 5.3 Million Total Viewers with Biggest Audience in Over 2 Months During Taylor Swift Night
Monday's episode was the No. 1 entertainment program on the night among Total Viewers (5.34 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.42 rating).
[04/29/26 - 02:41 PM]
Record Breaker! ESPN Airs Most-Viewed First Round Game 5 Ever on Cable, Extending Milestone Run of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday averaged 2 million viewers, up 190% vs. ESPN's First Round Game 5 average last year.
[04/28/26 - 03:41 PM]
TNT Sports Continues Viewership Surge for 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Minnesota's Game 4 victory over Dallas on Saturday averaged 1.9 million viewers on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.
[04/28/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 20 - Charlize Theron Climbs to No. 1 with "Apex" in This Week's Top 10
Another warning to be careful who you trust, the psychological thriller series "Unchosen" debuted at No. 1 on the English TV list with 10.4 million views.