The day that has come to be known as Final Four Saturday was, as one would reasonably expect, dominated by the Men’s Final Four.
Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Final Four averaged a combined 6.0 rating and 12.84 million viewers across TBS, TNT and truTV, down 2% in ratings but up 4% in viewership from last year on CBS (6.2, 12.34M). UConn-Alabama led the way with a 6.7 and 14.18 million and Purdue-NC State led in with a 5.3 and 11.45 million.
While the Men’s Final Four outdrew the Women’s Final Four the prior night (5.5, 11.0M), neither game was as big a draw as the Iowa-UConn women’s semifinal on ESPN and ESPN2 (7.1, 14.43M). For more details on the Men’s Final Four ratings, see the preceding link.
Beyond the hardwood, third round coverage of the PGA Tour Texas Open averaged a 1.0 and 1.59 million on NBC, up 16% in ratings and 20% in viewership from last year (0.9, 1.32M). The final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur led in with a 0.54 (+10%) and 854,000 (+13%) and the competing LIV Golf event from Miami had a 0.12 and 204,000 on CW.
ABC drew a 0.6 and 1.22 million for a Panthers-Bruins NHL regular season game, up from Bruins-Penguins on Final Four Saturday last year (0.6, 1.14M) and the largest audience for an indoor NHL game since Opening Night (not counting the All-Star Game). It was preceded by Lightning-Penguins at a 0.49 and 883,000.
The same network drew a 0.52 and 908,000 for a primetime Arlington-St. Louis UFL game, while cable sibling ESPN scored a 0.42 and 718,000 for San Antonio-Memphis earlier in the day.
Further down the dial, FS1 averaged a 0.36 and 642,000 for a Dodgers-Cubs Major League Baseball game, up from Rangers-Cubs last year (0.29, 493K). That led into the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville at a 0.49 (-6%) and 852,000 (+5%), which itself led into tape-delayed NHRA at a 0.21 and 329,000.
In other racing action, the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix drew a 0.26 and 484,000 on ESPN in the overnight hours — up from last year’s 0.23 and 479,000 on ESPN2. (An earlier version of this post mistakenly compared the Japanese GP viewership to the 2022 figures of 0.28 and 549,000.)
The SheBelieves Cup topped the day’s soccer slate as United States-Japan drew a combined 0.37 and 682,000 across TNT (0.21, 393K) and Telemundo (0.16, 289K). Liga MX topped out at a 0.26 and 478,000 for a Cruz Azul-Monterrey on Univision and the Premier League at a 0.25 and 464,000 for Arsenal-Brighton on USA Network. In a rare United Soccer League match on broadcast television, CBS drew a 0.23 and 362,000 for Louisville-Indy — topping primetime MLS on FOX (opposite the Final Four) at a 0.13 and 211,000.
A primetime Oklahoma-Texas college softball game drew a 0.24 and 437,000 on ESPN, preceded by LSU-Florida at a 0.19 and 338,000. A competing Clemson-Notre Dame college baseball game on ESPN2 had a 0.05 and 101,000.
Saturday, April 6 sports ratings
