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
o 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 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
o 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
o 3.1 billion total minutes viewed through the first two rounds, marking the second most-consumed early rounds on record
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