2025 Men's Final Four draws massive viewership, most-watched since 2017

It was another record-setting weekend for the NCAA Tournament. The Final Four games on Saturday had 15.3 millions viewers, the most since 2017. Viewership peaked at 20.4 million viewers.

Houston–Duke became the most-watched game of the NCAA Tournament, averaging 16 million viewers, which is 13% more than the late Final Four game averaged last year. The Florida–Auburn game also drew in jaw-dropping viewership.

The SEC showdown is the most-watched early Final Four game since 2017. It averaged 14.6 million viewers, a 27% uptick from last year. In total, tournament viewership across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV is
averaging 9.9 Million Viewers, 2% more than the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

It is a welcome sign for the beloved event. After receiving excellent viewership through the first three rounds of the tournament, ratings dipped during the Elite Eight, reportedly down 10% from a year ago, according to data compiled by Sports Media Watch.

Evidently, fans couldn’t stay away from the action for long and tuned in on Saturday to watch four 1-seeds battle it out in the Final Four for the first time since 2008. The highly-anticipated showdowns certainly didn’t disappoint.

As usual, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. put on a show, tallying 34 points while shooting 11-18 from the field and 5-8 from beyond the arc. Alijah Martin didn’t allow Clayton to have all the fun alone. The fifth-year senior threw down two monstrous slams en route to 17 total points.

Florida’s defense was equally instrumental in the win. After allowing Johni Broome to explode for 12 points in the first half, the Gators held the Auburn star to just three points in the second half.

Florida wasn’t the only team that slayed a giant on Saturday. Houston cut AP National Player of the Year Cooper Flagg‘s season short this weekend in incredulous fashion.

With 35 seconds left in the game, Houston trailed Duke by six points. Then, the impossible happened. The Cougars scored seven unanswered points in 15 seconds to cut the Blue Devils’ lead to one point. Houston didn’t stop there, either.

After Flagg was called for a controversial over-the-back foul, Houston’s J’Wan Roberts sunk two bonus free throws to give Duke the lead. Flagg attempted to retaliated with a fadeaway jumper in the paint but came up short, and the Cougars escaped with a victory.

Viewers will undoubtedly tune in again Monday when Florida and Houston square off at 8:50 p.m. ET in the National Championship. The game will air live on CBS.