2025-2026 TV ratings

[BigTenGuy]

Thank You!

I see FOX, FS1 and BTN for the Big Ten teams.

I see ABC (a few) ESPN and ESPN2 for the SEC but nothing for the SECN. Were the numbers for it and ACCN to insignificant to count?

UConn still strong despite little Network support with the Big East.

I’m surprised Vandy didn’t make the list for their five strong SEC-viewed games and Michigan.

TV viewership information is asymmetric for the conference-specific networks. The Big Ten Network is Nielsen rated, but the SEC Network and the ACC Network are not. Not sure why ESPN/Disney have chosen not to use Nielsen for the ACC and SEC Networks, but it makes it hard to compare the conference-specific networks (although ESPN and ESPN2 are SEC-centric networks).

Vandy was close to 2,000,000 in overall viewership. I had them at 1,847,000 viewers for their 3 ESPN, 2 ESPN2 and 1 ESPNU games.
Viewership info was not released for their Monday holiday-day game against Michigan. Fox had 3 Monday holiday-day games (Vandy-Michigan, OSU-TCU, and Iowa-Nebraska), but viewership information was not released for any of those games. Altogether FOX had 15 WBB games, but only released viewership information for 8 games. Especially for the 4 weekend games for which FOX did not release viewership info, I suspect the numbers were disappointing.

NBC also didn't release viewership for its 2 WBB games.

 

[visitingcock]

Conference Tournament week. Some big uns

Sunday at 12:08 AM
3/5 USC-Washington BTN 67,000
3/5 Indiana-Ohio State BTN 75,000
3/5 Illinois-Michigan State BTN 154,000
3/5 Oregon-Maryland BTN 113,000
3/6 Clemson-Duke ESPN2 103,000
3/6 Loyola Chicago-Rhode Island USA 46,000
3/6 Washington-UCLA BTN 72,000
3/6 Kentucky-South Carolina ESPN 590,000
3/6 Kansas State-Oklahoma State ESPNU 33,000
3/6 Oklahoma-LSU ESPN 537,000
3/6 BYU-TCU ESPNU 12,000
3/6 Ohio State-Minnesota BTN 84,000
3/6 Syracuse-Louisville ESPN2 247,000
3/6 Dayton-George Mason USA 44,000
3/6 Illinois-Iowa BTN 286,000
3/6 La Salle-Richmond CNBC 21,000
3/6 Oregon-Michigan BTN 139,000
3/7 Notre Dame-Duke ESPN2 393,000
3/7 Ohio State-UCLA BTN 220,000
3/7 UNC-Louisville ESPN2 390,000
3/7 LSU-South Carolina ESPN2 936,000
3/7 Michigan-Iowa BTN 487,000
3/7 Miami Ohio-Ohio ESPNU 14,000
3/7 Ole Miss-Texas ESPN2 573,000
3/8 Samford-Chattanooga ESPNU 38,000
3/8 Louisville-Duke ESPN 898,000
3/8 Iowa-UCLA CBS 980,000*
3/8 Texas-South Carolina ESPN 1,256,000
3/8 George Mason-Rhode Island ESPN2 103,000
3/8 West Virginia-TCU ESPN 730,000i
3/8 Radford-High Point ESPN2 149,000

 

[visitingcock]

Small conference tournament week

03/9 James Madison-Troy ESPNU 33,000
3/9 Austin Peay-Jacksonville ESPNU 51,000
3/10 Youngstown State-Green Bay ESPN2 100,000
3/10 Oregon State-Gonzaga ESPN2 148,000
3/11 Montana State-Idaho ESPNU 32,000
3/12 Stephen F. Austin-McNeese State ESPNU 39,000
3/13 Maine-Vermont ESPNU 14,000
3/14 Southern-Alabama State ESPNU 37,000
3/14 Abilene Christian-Cal Baptist ESPNU 20,000
3/14 Harvard-Princeton ESPNU 21,000
3/14 UTSA-Rice ESPNU 22,000
3/15 LIU-Fairleigh Dickinson ESPNU 35,000
3/15 Evansville-Murray State ESPN2 191,000

 

[visitingcock]

Wtf? ABC will be televising the first round game between SCar and Southern Univ on Saturday afternoon. WHY?

There are many more appealing games available that day. Seems like a waste of valuable airtime to me. Is there a “Gameday” preceding it?

 

[cancontent]

Wtf? ABC will be televising the first round game between SCar and Southern Univ on Saturday afternoon. WHY?

There are many more appealing games available that day. Seems like a waste of valuable airtime to me. Is there a “Gameday” preceding it?

It's part of their double header with UConn-UTSA to follow. I see it as competition against the men's games as CBS has Michigan and Michigan State around that time slot today.

The other question is does ABC really have control over scheduling? Gut feeling is the NCAA have these time slots for the games pre-determined and the networks do the best they can.

 

[visitingcock]

LAST WEEKEND:

3/18 Richmond-Nebraska ESPN2 396,000
3/18 Stephen F. Austin-Missouri State ESPN2 293,000

3/19 Samford-Southern ESPN2 187,000
3/19 Arizona State-Virginia ESPN2 251,000

3/20 Charleston-Duke ESPN2 250,000
3/20 UC San Diego-TCU ESPN 278,000
3/20 Virginia Tech-Oregon ESPN2 148,000
3/20 Nebraska-Baylor ESPN 413,000
3/20 Murray State-Maryland ESPNU 38,000
3/20 Gonzaga-Ole Miss ESPN2 159,000
3/20 Missouri State-Texas ESPN 355,000
3/20 Holy Cross-Michigan ESPN2 180,000
3/20 Jacksonville-LSU ESPN 506,000
3/20 Green Bay-Minnesota ESPNU 66,000
3/20 Tennessee-North Carolina State ESPN 654,000
3/20 Villanova-Texas Tech ESPNU 64,000
3/20 Idaho-Oklahoma ESPN 356,000
3/21 Howard-Ohio State ESPN2 259,000

3/21 Vermont-Louisville ESPN 574,000
3/21 Southern-South Carolina ABC 972,000*
3/21 Virginia-Georgia ESPN2 377,000
3/21 Fairfield-Notre Dame ESPN 336,000
3/21 James Madison-Kentucky ESPNU 62,000
3/21 UTSA-UConn ABC 981,000*
3/21 USC-Clemson ESPN2 497,000
3/21 Fairleigh Dickinson-Iowa ESPN 610,000
3/21 Miami (OH)-West Virginia ESPNU 70,000
3/21 Syracuse-Iowa State ESPN2 540,000
3/21 Princeton-Oklahoma State ESPN2 370,000
3/21 Colorado-Illinois ESPN2 253,000
3/21 Cal Baptist-UCLA ESPN 432,000

3/22 Maryland-UNC ESPN 786,000
3/22 North Carolina State-Michigan ABC 852,000*
3/22 Ole Miss-Minnesota ESPN 776,000
3/22 Texas Tech-LSU ABC 1,042,000*
3/22 Baylor-Duke ESPN 669,000
3/22 Oregon-Texas ESPN 812,000
3/22 Michigan State-Oklahoma ESPN 763,000
3/22 Washington-TCU ESPN 745,000

 

[visitingcock]

3/23 Alabama-Louisville ESPN 605,000
3/23 Virginia-Iowa ESPN 1,279,000
3/23 Notre Dame-Ohio State ESPN 1,333,000
3/23 Kentucky-West Virginia ESPN2 545,000
3/23 Syracuse-UConn ESPN 1,306,000
3/23 Illinois-Vanderbilt ESPN2 645,000
3/23 USC-South Carolina ESPN 1,572,000
3/23 Oklahoma State-UCLA ESPN 1,052,000

Sweet 16

3/27 Notre Dame-Vanderbilt ESPN 1,062,000
3/27 UNC-UConn ESPN 1,656,000
3/27 Minnesota-UCLA ESPN 1,048,000
3/27 Duke-LSU ESPN 1,250,000
3/28 Louisville-Michigan ABC 2,025,000*
3/28 Kentucky-Texas ABC 2,227,000*
3/28 Oklahoma-South Carolina ESPN 1,330,000
3/28 Virginia-TCU ESPN 1,195,000

Elite 8
3/29 Notre Dame-UConn ABC 3,082,000*
3/29 Duke-UCLA ABC 2,783,000*
3/30 Michigan-Texas ESPN 2,021,000
3/30 TCU-South Carolina ESPN 2,523,000


Final Four Week

4/3 South Carolina-UConn ESPN/2 4,711,000
4/3 Texas-UCLA ESPN/2 4,474,000

4/5 South Carolina-UCLA ABC/ESPN/U 9,876,000*

 

[visitingcock]