NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship Hits One Million Viewers on ABC
Women’s college gymnastics just keeps gaining momentum, and this year’s national championship broadcast on ABC hammered that point home. The 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship featured Oklahoma taking the title over UCLA, Missouri, and Utah, and averaged a hefty one million viewers on ABC.
According to Awful Announcing, that’s the second-biggest audience ever for a college gymnastics championship on ESPN platforms. It came just shy of last year’s record of 1.02 million.
The broadcast even peaked at 1.5 million viewers—a new high for gymnastics on ESPN’s networks. These numbers really highlight how much the sport’s mainstream appeal has grown and show that ESPN’s move to put the event on broadcast TV paid off.
The Rise of Women’s College Gymnastics on Network Television
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Back in 2021, ESPN took a chance by moving the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship from ESPNU to ABC. That shift put the sport in front of a much bigger audience.
Since then, each championship has pulled in high six-figure viewership, with two of the last three years pushing close to or breaking the one-million mark. For a sport that once felt pretty niche, those numbers are wild—visibility really can change everything.
This year’s championship drew 18% more viewers than last year’s ABC broadcast, which had 808,000. That kind of jump is rare these days, when audiences are so scattered across platforms.
The telecast’s 1.5 million peak also set a new record for any gymnastics event on an ESPN network. It’s not just about the routines, either—there’s a real cultural momentum behind women’s college sports right now.
Why the ABC Move Changed Everything
Before 2021, you had to hunt down the championship on cable channels like ESPNU. Those channels just don’t have the reach of a network like ABC.
By making the move, ESPN put women’s gymnastics in front of millions of casual sports fans who might not have watched otherwise. That exposure has changed the game and turned the NCAA Gymnastics Championship into real appointment TV.
It didn’t hurt that the broadcast landed on a Saturday afternoon, either. With little else competing for attention, ABC’s coverage became a must-watch for both gymnastics fans and broader college sports followers.
ABC also stepped up the production—better cameras, sharper commentary, the works. That effort made the championship feel like a big-time event instead of an afterthought.
Breaking Down the Numbers
ESPN PR reported the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championship averaged one million viewers, peaking at 1.5 million. That’s the biggest gymnastics audience ESPN’s ever seen.
The semifinals, which aired earlier on ESPN2, had mixed results. The primetime session averaged 212,000 viewers (down 5% from last year), while the daytime session averaged 154,000 (up 48%).
Together, semifinals and championship averaged 446,000 viewers—a record for the sport.
- Steady Growth: The championship’s viewership keeps climbing, showing there’s a real, lasting audience here.
- Platform Impact: Jumping from cable to broadcast TV has blown open the event’s reach and accessibility.
- Demographic Strength: The 2025 broadcast skewed 57% female—one of the highest female shares ever on ESPN.
The Female Viewership Factor
This year’s demographic numbers are pretty striking. ESPN said 57% of viewers were female, which is almost unheard of for televised sports.
That speaks volumes about the bond between women’s sports and female fans. As women’s sports get more airtime, they’re pulling in passionate viewers who actually show up, talk about it online, and interact with brands.
If you’re an advertiser looking to reach women through sports, gymnastics is a goldmine. It’s got athleticism, artistry, and plenty of stories that stick with you.
With the NCAA championship drawing these kinds of numbers, maybe more networks will rethink how they schedule and hype women’s sports.
Oklahoma’s Dominance and Star Power
The broadcast numbers tell one story, but the competition on the mat told another. Oklahoma’s win over UCLA, Missouri, and Utah just solidified their dynasty status in college gymnastics.
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Their consistency and depth keep them at the top, and viewers can’t get enough of watching excellence play out. Star athletes from programs like Oklahoma and UCLA have raised the sport’s profile, too.
Social media has given these gymnasts a platform to build personal brands and pull in fans who might not follow college sports otherwise. This new wave of athletes is helping close the gap between NCAA gymnastics and the wider sports world.
Social Media’s Role in the Sport’s Growth
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X (yeah, that’s Twitter’s new name) have helped gymnastics explode. Clips of perfect routines and behind-the-scenes moments go viral all the time, bringing in people who’ve never watched a full meet.
ESPN pushes these moments across its digital channels, which drives even more viewers to tune in live. It’s a feedback loop—social media hype leads to bigger TV audiences, and vice versa.
This digital push especially matters for younger viewers, who usually find sports content online first. ESPN and ABC have managed to blend strong social storytelling with easy-to-find TV coverage, and honestly, it’s working.
The Future of College Gymnastics on ABC
With the way things are going, ESPN’s almost certainly going to keep the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship on ABC. The ratings and brand buzz speak for themselves.
The NCAA gets priceless exposure for its athletes and teams. That kind of spotlight can only help the sport grow.
We’ll probably see more innovation in how the championship gets presented—think slicker graphics, more athlete interviews, and extra storytelling segments. ESPN might even try out more prime-time slots or digital extras to keep the momentum going.
What This Means for Women’s Sports Overall
The way women’s college gymnastics drew in big audiences on ABC isn’t just a fluke. It fits into this bigger shift in sports media that’s honestly pretty exciting. People are tuning in for women’s athletics—basketball, soccer, gymnastics, you name it. Networks are finally starting to see the real commercial and cultural value in these events, which feels overdue.
The 2025 championship pulling in a million viewers? That’s not just a stat to gloss over. It shows women’s sports can really take off with the right platform and a bit of genuine promotion.
This year’s NCAA Gymnastics Championship isn’t only about the ratings. It’s about visibility and giving these athletes a shot at the spotlight. When ESPN put women’s gymnastics on a major broadcast, it changed the game for what success can look like in collegiate women’s sports.
With the sport gaining momentum, you can’t help but notice how the mix of elite athleticism and storytelling—plus national exposure—has turned women’s college gymnastics into one of the most exciting things on sports TV right now. Honestly, it’s inspiring to watch.