Men’s Final Four Delivers Staggering Viewership in Historic Showdown
The 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four made history as only the second time all four teams were top seeds, resulting in two thrilling matchups that captivated large audiences on Saturday.
According to preliminary ratings from Nielsen, the games attracted an impressive average of approximately 15.3 million viewers. This figure marks the highest viewer count for the men’s Final Four since 2017, despite the company’s method of excluding out-of-home viewing data until three years later. Overall, this year’s ratings highlight a remarkable 19% increase compared to the previous year’s 12.8 million viewer count. The broadcast aired across TBS, TNT, and TruTV, surpassing CBS’ last showing in 2023 by 24%.
Game Highlights and Viewer Engagement
The early matchup saw Florida triumph over Auburn with a score of 79-73, pulling in 14.6 million viewers—up from 11.4 million during the same timeframe last year. The late game featured Houston’s nail-biting 70-67 comeback victory against Duke, which averaged 16 million viewers, reflecting a 13% rise in numbers compared to 2024’s late game slots. Notably, CBS’ coverage peaked at a remarkable 20.4 million viewers, indicating how exciting the tournament continues to be.
Houston’s win over Duke emerged as the highest-rated game of the 2025 tournament thus far, outshining all games from the previous year. Final metrics for Saturday’s showdowns are scheduled for release on Tuesday, with expectations that these figures will increase as additional data comes in.
Women’s Final Four Ratings Experience Significant Drop
In contrast, the women’s Final Four held on Friday experienced a notable decline in viewership, which was anticipated following last year’s historic ratings. The two games featured broad victories by defending champions South Carolina against Texas and Connecticut versus UCLA, drawing an average of only 3.9 million viewers on ESPN from the fast nationals. This represents a staggering 65% decrease from the previous year’s 11 million viewers, yet it still stands as the third-highest average audience for the women’s Final Four since ESPN secured exclusive broadcasting rights in 1995. This year’s figures are only surpassed by last year and 2023, which had viewership of 4.5 million.
As the landscape of college basketball continues to evolve, these viewership trends signal an ongoing interest and engagement from fans across both men’s and women’s tournaments.