Ratings Roundup: NCAA Women’s Title Game Draws Record TV Audience While Men’s Title Game Hits Record Low

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, NCAA women’s title game has an 103% TV viewer increase; MLB.TV has most watched day in MLB.TV history.

Sunday’s NCAA Women’s Title Game Draws Record TV Audience

LSU’s 102-85 victory over Iowa in Sunday’s national championship game was the most-viewed NCAA women’s basketball game on record, with 9.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2 according to fast national numbers by Nielsen.

The total audience is a 103% jump over last year, when South Carolina defeated UConn and averaged 4.85 million on ESPN and ESPN2. The audience on Sunday at one point peaked at 12.6 million.

LSU’s first national title in women’s basketball was the first on network television since UConn’s win over Tennessee in 1995. That game averaged 7.4 million on CBS.

ESPN took over the rights to the entire tournament the following year. The previous network high for a women’s national championship game was in 2002, when UConn beat Oklahoma.

The record ratings come as the NCAA is deciding whether to separate the women’s tournament or keep it as part of the championships TV package that includes at least 24 sports. That contract expires next year, with the NCAA expected to decide the next steps in negotiations by the fall.

NCAA Men’s Championship Game Hits Record Low, But Still Highest Rated Hoops Broadcast of Season

The day after the women’s tournament finished with a record-high, ratings and viewership hit record-lows for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament final. Monday’s UConn-San Diego State NCAA men’s basketball national championship averaged a 7.8 rating and 14.69 million viewers on CBS, down 15% in ratings and 14% in viewership from Kansas-North Carolina on TBS, TNT and TruTV last year (9.1, 17.05M) and the lowest rated and least-watched title game on record. The previous lows were last year’s 9.1 and just shy of 16 million for Villanova-Michigan in 2018, which also aired cable. The previous lows for a title game on CBS were a 9.4 and 17.08 million for Baylor’s rout of Gonzaga two years ago. The past three title games rank among the four least-watched on record.

The Huskies’ win still delivered the largest basketball audience of the past year, surpassing last year’s NBA Finals clincher (Warriors-Celtics Game 6: 7.5, 13.99M).

Saturday’s NCAA men’s basketball national semifinals averaged 12.34 million viewers on CBS, down 17% from last year on TBS, TNT and TruTV but up 2% from 2021. San Diego State-Florida Atlantic notched a 6.0 rating and 11.90 million viewers, up 5% in ratings and 2% in viewership from Kansas-Villanova on TBS, TNT and TruTV last year. UConn’s rout of Miami averaged a 6.4 and 12.85 million — down 26% in ratings and 27% in viewership from last year’s matchup of North Carolina and Duke (8.6, 17.66M).

Viewership for 2023 MLB Opening Night on ESPN Draws Double-Digit Increases as Chicago White Sox Defeat Reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros

Most-Watched Regular-Season Astros Game in Six Years

Viewership for 2023 MLB Opening Night Presented by Frontdoor saw double-digit increases on ESPN as the Chicago White Sox defeated the reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros on Thursday, March 30. The ESPN broadcast averaged 1,640,000 viewers, up 20 percent from last year’s Opening Night game on ESPN2.

The White Sox vs. Astros game broadcast was the most-watched program of the day on cable for March 30 in all key people and male demos. Viewership peaked with two million viewers at 9 p.m. ET.

Last night’s game was the most-watched regular-season Astros game in six years, dating back to 2017.

ESPN’s MLB coverage continues on April 2 with the season debut of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and KayRod Cast on ESPN2.

MLB.TV Registers Most-Watched Day in History on Opening Day Presented by Chevrolet

Opening Day Presented by Chevrolet registered the most-watched day in MLB.TV history (172 million minutes) by +42%.  The previous record was 2021 Opening Day, which attracted 121 million minutes watched.

Opening Day also recorded the largest online Opening Day merchandise sales day in history by +10% over the previous high registered in 2021 and an increase in social media views by +83% versus last year’s Opening Day.

FS1’s March Madness: 2023 Delivers Record-Breaking March

In 2023, SKIP AND SHANNON: UNDISPUTED, THE HERD and FIRST THINGS FIRST scored their best March ever.

• UNDISPUTED averaged 166,000 viewers, up +8% YOY
• THE HERD averaged 139,000 viewers, up +17% YOY
• FIRST THINGS FIRST nearly doubled its audience, up +95% YOY with 123,000 viewers

Double Digit Growth

• In March 2023, SPEAK displayed double-digit growth – averaging 82,000 viewers and up +39% YOY in its time slot (vs March ’22 studio programming from 4:30 to 6:00 PM ET)