ESPN’s Audiences for College Basketball On Track for Major Growth

Why It Matters

The surge underscores growing fan appetite for college basketball and solidifies ESPN’s leverage in rights negotiations and advertising revenue across both genders.

Key Takeaways

• Women’s viewership up 33%, best in 17 years
• Men’s viewership up 25%, best in 11 years
• ESPN holds 48% women’s, 45% men’s live minutes
• Top games exceed 1 million viewers each
• Big Monday audience up 81% YoY

Pulse Analysis

The recent audience boom for college basketball reflects broader shifts in sports consumption. Women’s games have benefited from increased visibility on ESPN’s flagship channels, strategic scheduling, and heightened competitive balance, driving a 33% YoY lift that eclipses any season since 2007. This growth not only expands the fan base but also attracts premium advertisers seeking diverse, engaged audiences, prompting brands to allocate more budget toward women’s sports slots.

For men’s basketball, the 25% viewership rise is anchored by marquee matchups and the resurgence of traditional powerhouses. High‑profile contests like Duke‑North Carolina and the Big Monday series have delivered multi‑million peaks, reinforcing ESPN’s position as the premier destination for live college basketball. The network’s 12% overall increase in average viewers across 86 games signals robust health for broadcast rights valuations, potentially influencing future contract negotiations with conferences seeking higher fees.

Looking ahead, ESPN’s dominance—capturing nearly half of all live minutes for both men’s and women’s college basketball—offers a strategic advantage in a fragmented media landscape. As streaming platforms vie for sports content, ESPN’s strong linear performance provides leverage to negotiate cross‑platform deals and experiment with hybrid distribution models. Continued audience growth will likely spur further investment in production quality, analytics, and targeted advertising, cementing college basketball’s role as a revenue engine for both broadcasters and the NCAA.

ESPN’s Audiences for College Basketball On Track for Major Growth

By George Winslow · published 29 minutes ago

Viewing of women’s games are up 33% putting them on pace for best season in 17 years while men basketball is up 25%

Image credit: ESPN

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ESPN is reporting that its coverage of women’s and men’s college basketball is delivering significant year‑over‑year audience growth this season. Through Feb. 9, women’s college basketball games across ESPN networks are up 33% year‑over‑year and on pace for the sport’s best audience in 17 years, while men’s college basketball viewership is up 25% compared to last season and is on pace for its most‑watched season in 11 years.

ESPN networks have aired nine of the 20 most‑watched women’s games across all networks this season, including five of the top 10 and three of the top four. Three games have topped one million viewers.

The most‑watched game of the season across all networks — South Carolina’s win over Tennessee on Feb. 8 — averaged 1.5 million viewers and peaked at 2.1 million. The Feb. 1 top‑10 showdown between Oklahoma and Texas averaged 1.1 million viewers, while December’s Jimmy V Classic Cy‑Hawk rivalry matchup delivered 1.0 million viewers.

In the season through Feb. 9, ESPN networks have televised 12 games averaging more than 500,000 viewers — four more than at this point last season — and account for 19 of the top 20 games on cable.

Overall, ESPN networks represent nearly half (48%) of all women’s college basketball live minutes watched this season, more than any other network group.

In terms of men’s basketball, ESPN networks have televised 10 of the top 20 most‑watched men’s college basketball games across all networks this season, including three telecasts eclipsing two million viewers.

The first Duke–North Carolina matchup of the season — a 71–68 Tar Heel buzzer‑beating victory on Feb. 7 — averaged 3.5 million viewers and peaked at 4.8 million in the closing minutes. The game ranks as ESPN’s most‑watched men’s college basketball telecast since Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game in 2022 and the second‑most watched since 2019. Across all networks, it stands as the third‑most watched game of the season and the top game that did not benefit from an NFL game lead‑in.

On Jan. 31, Kentucky at Arkansas and BYU at Kansas delivered ESPN’s second‑ and third‑most watched games of the season to date. The telecasts were the two most‑watched sporting events of the day across all networks.

The Big Monday franchise — a cornerstone of ESPN’s men’s college basketball coverage since 1987 — is also off to a strong 2026 campaign. The Feb. 9 Arizona at Kansas game (1.8 M) and the Jan. 26 doubleheader featuring Arizona at BYU (1.8 M) and Louisville at Duke (1.7 M) marked the three most‑watched Monday men’s college basketball games on any network in seven years. Through the first three weeks of Big Monday, games are averaging 1.5 million viewers, up 81% YoY.

The 86 games on ESPN alone are averaging 969,000 viewers, up 12% year‑over‑year and on pace for its best audience in six years.

Overall, ESPN networks account for 45% of all men’s college basketball live minutes watched this season — the largest share of any network group. ESPN also represents the top 19 games on cable, and 29 of the top 30.

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About the Author

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at major industry events such as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on subjects ranging from media and New York City history to economics.