South Carolina women's basketball: 2026 Final Four was second most-watched ever

The 2026 Final Four was the second most-watched women’s Final Four ever, according to ESPN. 

The title game between South Carolina and UCLA averaged 9.9 million viewers with a peak of 10.7 million. It was the third-most-watched championship game behind South Carolina’s 2024 win over Iowa (18.7 million) and the 2023 game between LSU and Iowa (9.9 million with a peak of 12.7 million).

Last season’s championship game averaged 9.8 million viewers. Even though this season’s game wasn’t close, it likely got a bump from the Easter holiday, when more people are at home and watching TV.

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South Carolina’s upset of UConn in the semifinal on Friday drew 5.4 million viewers with a peak of 7.7 million. It was the fourth most-watched semifinal ever. The UCLA-Texas game was the fifth most-watched semifinal ever, averaging 5.0 million with a peak of 5.2 million. 

The South Carolina-UConn game increased 47% year-over-year from last season’s semifinal.

The three games in Phoenix averaged 5.2 million viewers. It trailed only the 2024 Final Four for the most total viewership.

According to Nielsen, South Carolina was the most-watched team in the Final Four. 

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South Carolina’s games drew an average viewership of 752,000. Texas was second with an average viewership of 704,000, followed by UCLA, with an average viewership of 673,00. UConn had the lowest viewership in the Final Four at only 631,000 per game. 

Viewership numbers were based on regular season and NCAA Tournament (through the Elite Eight).

ESPN will release additional viewership figures on April 8.

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