Jun 10, 2025 | Los Angeles, Sports, Valleys

Record-Breaking Viewership for Women’s College World Series

Fans are showing up — and tuning in — for women’s sports like never before. The 2024 NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS) shattered multiple viewership records, highlighting the continued rise of college softball.

One of Texas’ best players will end their career after the World Series. | Texas Athletics

By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer

While Texas ultimately claimed the WCWS title, the bigger winners may have been the sport and its growing fanbase.

Historic Numbers Across the Board

For the first time in four years, the WCWS featured a full three-game championship series. The showdown between Texas and Texas Tech averaged 2.2 million viewers across ESPN and ESPNU — the highest average ever recorded for the event. That figure marks a 13% increase over last year’s previous high set by the Oklahoma-Texas final.

Friday’s decisive Game 3 drew 2.41 million viewers, setting a new record for the most-watched college softball game ever. The previous record (2.33 million) was held by the 2007 Game 3 between Tennessee and Arizona.

All three games of this year’s final ranked among the top 10 most-watched games in WCWS history:

Game 3: 2.41 million (Ranked #1)
Game 2: 2.13 million (Ranked #6)
Game 1: 2.11 million (Ranked #7)

A note: Out-of-home viewing wasn’t tracked in Nielsen ratings prior to 2020, meaning earlier comparisons may underestimate current totals.

Broader Tournament Success

The full 15-game WCWS averaged 1.3 million viewers, a 24% increase from last year and the highest on record. Four games from this year’s tournament landed in the all-time top ten, including a UCLA-Tennessee matchup on ABC that drew 2.19 million viewers, placing fifth overall.

Across the entire NCAA softball tournament, average viewership was 591,000, up 3% from last year and the highest in four years.