ESPN Networks deliver most-watched men’s college basketball season since 2014-15
- Audience up 25% year-over-year across ESPN networks
- ESPN airs 5 of the season’s top 10 games and the top 33 games on cable
- Big Monday posts its most-watched season on record
ESPN networks delivered its most-watched men’s college basketball regular season in 11 years — since 2014-15. Overall viewership across ESPN networks increased 25% year-over-year during the 2025-26 season, highlighted by premier matchups, signature events and a record performance from ESPN’s marquee Big Monday franchise.
Double-Digit Growth Across ESPN and ABC
Games on both ESPN and ABC posted double-digit growth this season.
The 127 games on ESPN averaged 1.1 million viewers, up 12% year-over-year and the network’s most-watched season since 2018-19.
On ABC, five broadcasts averaged 1.7 million viewers, up 29% year-over-year and the network’s best season since 2006-07.
Across all nationally rated linear networks, ESPN networks accounted for 50% of live men’s college basketball game minutes viewed, delivering 26 billion minutes watched.
ESPN’s Most-Watched Games
ESPN aired five of the top 10 games of the season across all networks and 11 of the top 20.
ESPN also delivered six games with audiences exceeding two million viewers. Of the 45 games across all networks to surpass 1.5 million viewers, 28 aired on ESPN.
The season’s most-watched ESPN game came on Feb. 21, when then-No. 1 Michigan faced then-No. 3 Duke in a neutral-site showdown that averaged 4.3 million viewers – ESPN’s most-watched men’s college basketball game in seven years and the seventh most-viewed regular season men’s college basketball telecast on record for the network.
Both matchups between Duke and North Carolina also ranked among the three most-watched installments of the Tobacco Road rivalry in the past seven seasons.
Across cable, ESPN delivered the top 33 most-watched games of the season.
2025-26 Top Regular Season Men’s College Basketball Games Across ESPN Networks
(Rankings reflect AP ranking on date of game)
| Date | Network | Game | Viewers |
| Sat, Feb 21 | ESPN | No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 3 Duke | 4,324,000 |
| Sat, Feb 7 | ESPN | No. 4 Duke at No. 11 North Carolina | 3,511,000 |
| Sat, Mar 7 | ESPN | No. 17 North Carolina at No. 1 Duke | 3,426,000 |
| Sat, Feb 21 | ABC | No. 4 Arizona at No. 2 Houston | 2,448,000 |
| Sat, Jan 31 | ESPN | Kentucky at No. 15 Arkansas | 2,393,000 |
| Sat, Jan 31 | ESPN | No. 13 BYU at No. 14 Kansas | 2,105,000 |
| Sat, Dec 13 | ESPN | Indiana at Kentucky | 1,958,000 |
| Mon, Feb 23 | ESPN | No. 5 Houston at No. 12 Kansas | 1,953,000 |
| Tue, Nov 18 | ESPN | No. 24 Kansas vs. No. 5 Duke | 1,874,000 |
| Sat, Feb 21 | ESPN | Kentucky at Auburn | 1,853,000 |
Big Monday Delivers Record Audience
Big Monday, a cornerstone of ESPN’s men’s college basketball coverage since 1987, posted its most-watched season on record.
The 12-game slate on ESPN averaged 1.6 million viewers, up 78% year-over-year and 59% compared to two seasons ago.
The schedule featured the nine most-watched Monday men’s college basketball games on any network since 2018-19, led by Houston vs. Kansas on Feb. 23, which averaged two million viewers.
Early-Season Showcases Build Momentum
Several of ESPN’s marquee early-season events also posted year-over-year gains:
- Champions Classic (Kansas vs. Duke; Kentucky vs. Michigan State): 1.7M viewers, up 5% YoY
- Jimmy V Classic (BYU vs. Clemson; UConn vs. Florida): 1.1M viewers, up 36% YoY
- ACC/SEC Challenge: up 25% YoY, led by Duke vs. Florida with 1.7M viewers
College GameDay Audience Climbs
ESPN’s seven on-site regular season College GameDay Covered by State Farm shows averaged 12% growth year-over-year, delivering its best season since 2019-20.
The most-watched show of the season originated from Allen Fieldhouse ahead of the BYU-Kansas game on January 31.
