WCWS Sets ESPN Records With Most-Watched Non-Final Games Ever
ESPN PR recently released the newest data signifying the popularity and growth of college softball.
According to ESPN and Neilson, Sunday's matchup between the UCLA Bruins and Tennessee Lady Vols was the largest audience since 2015 and the best non-finals game on record. The viewership for the broadcast contest between the two teams on ABC hit 2.2 million viewers and peaked at 3.9 million.
The rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas for a place in the championship series that took place on Saturday saw 1.7 million average viewers on ABC and peaked at 2.2 million. This game was the third-best non-finals game ever.
The numbers reflect ESPN's commitment and investment in college softball, specifically the Women's College World Series which has seen steady and consistent viewership.
For example, in 2024, five games leading up to the championship series eclipsed the million-viewer mark, led by UCLA vs. Oklahoma on ABC with 1.3 million viewers. Thus, this year's record-breaking games demonstrate double the audience for the UCLA-Tennessee game and a 54 percent increase from 2024 to the OU-Texas game on Saturday.
In 2024, the final showdown between Texas and OU drew 1.9 million viewers for game one and two million for game two, which was the most-watched finals on record.
With Texas facing off against Texas Tech's superstar NiJaree Canady and both teams vying for their first title, it is not bold to predict this year's World Series will eclipse the previous year's record.
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Allison Smith is an expert in leadership and organizational behavior in collegiate and professional women’s sports. Smith is a professor (Georgia State University), researcher, and writer. Smith holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Kinesiology and Sport Studies. Smith’s research centers on combatting the underrepresentation of women leaders in sport, lack of organizational structure for work life integration for sport employees, and lack of programming and oversight for preparing athletes to transition to life after sport. Since graduating with a bachelor’s in journalism in 2011, Smith has sought opportunities to write about sports as a contributing writer focused on the growth of women’s collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports in this new age and movement for multiple outlets including Athletic Director U, and now Forbes.com. As a former Division I and II pitcher and Division III pitching coach Smith will bring unique insight and expertise to Softball on SI.
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