NASCAR topped yet another Sunday, but once again it was women’s college basketball that stole the show in the ratings.
NASCAR Cup Series racing from Phoenix averaged a 2.2 rating and 4.03 million viewers on FOX Sunday afternoon, marking the largest sports audience of the weekend and an increase of 12 and 19 percent respectively over last year (1.9, 3.39M). Christopher Bell’s win, which peaked with 4.52 million viewers, ranks as the most-watched spring Phoenix race since 2020 (4.58M). As is typical this time of year, NASCAR has delivered the top sports audience of the weekend in four-straight weeks to start the season.
Placing second among Sunday sporting events, the Nebraska-Iowa Big Ten women’s basketball final averaged a 1.7 and 3.02 million on CBS — quadrupling last year on ESPN (Iowa-Ohio State: 0.42, 745K) and trailing only Ohio State-Iowa on FOX the previous week (1.9, 3.39M) as the most-watched women’s regular season game since 1999. It also ranks as the most-watched game on CBS this season and the fifth-most watched overall, regardless of gender.
All four of the “Power 5” women’s conference title games on Sunday increased substantially over last year, as noted in this article. The LSU-South Carolina SEC title game averaged a 1.1 (+148%) and 1.96 million (+126%) on ESPN, followed by the USC-Stanford Pac-12 title game at a 0.8 (+440%) and 1.44 million (+461%) and the Notre Dame-NC State ACC final at a 0.40 (+54%) and 679,000 (+41%).
Lost in the shuffle, a UConn-Marquette Big East Tournament semifinal averaged a 0.15 and 262,000 on FS1 — and even that was still up 41% from the Huskies’ semifinal against Georgetown in an earlier window last year (186K).
On a day featuring men’s college and pro games, women’s games accounted for three of the six largest basketball audiences.
As for those men’s games, CBS drew a 1.2 and 2.06 million for Michigan State-Indiana and a 0.9 and 1.66 million for the Drake-Indiana State Missouri Valley tournament final. FOX drew a 0.7 and 1.14 million for Wisconsin-Purdue, FS1 a 0.40 and 771,000 for Illinois-Iowa and BTN a 0.17 and 317,000 for Ohio State-Rutgers.
Opposite the Academy Awards, ESPN averaged a 1.0 and 1.77 million for a Timberwolves-Lakers NBA regular season game — up 4% in ratings and 5% in viewership from Knicks-Lakers last year (1.0, 1.69M) — preceded by the Sixers’ low-scoring win over the Knicks at a 0.7 and 1.29 million.
Beyond the hardwood, NBC averaged a 1.4 and 2.29 million for the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational — down 32% in ratings and 30% in viewership from last year (2.0, 3.26M) and the least-watched final round of the event since 2017 (2.12M). LIV Golf on CW had a 0.12 and 208,000.
A Manchester City-Liverpool English Premier League match averaged a combined 0.8 and 1.71 million across USA Network (0.55, 1.14M) and Telemundo (0.26, 566K) — the largest Nielsen-measured audience of the season, surpassing the previous high of 1.49 million for Arsenal-Liverpool in December. The United States-Brazil Women’s Gold Cup final drew a 0.13 and 280,000 on ESPN Deportes. (English-language coverage aired on Paramount+, which is not Nielsen-rated.)
The IndyCar season opener from St. Petersburg averaged a 0.6 and 975,000 on NBC — down from last year’s 0.8 and 1.19 million — while tape-delayed coverage of the NHRA opener from Gainesville drew a 0.20 and 341,000 on FS1. TNT averaged a 0.18 and 359,000 for Predators-Wild and a 0.18 and 354,000 for Oilers-Penguins in an NHL regular season doubleheader, both down from last year’s doubleheader of Bruins-Red Wings (0.24, 403K) and Rangers-Penguins (0.37, 807K).
The Big Ten wrestling championships concluded with a 0.14 and 261,000 on BTN, down from last year’s 312,000 but still comfortably ahead of the Big 12 wrestling championships on ESPN2 (0.07, 143K).
As for the Academy Awards, ABC averaged a 9.9 and 19.49 million for the annual awards show, including a 3.8 rating in adults 18-49, 3.1 in 18-34 and 4.7 in 25-54. Outside of football and the Olympics, no sporting event since 2019 has averaged as large an audience. In the key young adult demographics, the Oscars averaged lower ratings in adults 18-49 and 18-34 than last year’s clinching NBA Finals Game 5 (Heat-Nuggets: 4.0; 3.3), but edged the NCAA men’s national championship (UConn-San Diego State: 3.7, 2.9).
Sunday, March 10 sports ratings
