Sports Ratings Tracker

Entering the Texas-Texas Tech final, the Women’s College World Series was averaging 1.5 million viewers on ESPN — up a third from last year and the highest average on record prior to the final. (Note that changes in Nielsen methodology skew comparisons to past years, particularly those prior to 2020, when the company began tracking out-of-home viewing in its estimates.)

This year produced five of the seven most-watched pre-Finals games. Airing in the window that used to belong to “Sunday Night Baseball,” Texas Tech-UCLA led the way with a 1.0 rating and 2.03 million viewers — the second-largest WCWS audience on record outside of the Final.

ESPN also drew the third and fourth-largest pre-Finals audiences on Monday, as both games of Texas Tech-Alabama drew 2.0 million — a 1.1 and 2.00 million and a 1.1 and 1.96 million.

ABC’s two games last weekend placed sixth and seventh, with Nebraska-Texas last Sunday at a 1.1 and 1.95 million and Texas Tech-Tennessee last Saturday at a 1.0 and 1.90 million.

Last Thursday’s opening day of the Women’s College World Series averaged 1.2 million viewers on ESPN, up 63% from last year and the highest average on record for the opening day of play.

This year accounted for three of the four most-watched opening Thursday games, including the top two — the primetime matchups of Arkansas-Nebraska at 1.4 million and UCLA-Alabama at 1.3 million. An afternoon game, Tennessee-Texas, took fourth place with 1.1 million.

The previous high prior to this year was 1.2 million for Arizona State-Alabama in 2008.