CBS saw a nice bump in the ratings for prime time coverage of the NCAA Tournament.
Coverage of the first night of the NCAA Tournament drew a 6.5/11 overnight rating on CBS from 8-11 PM Thursday night, up 10% from a 5.9/18 last year, but still down 3% from a 6.7/10 for prime time coverage of the first night of the tournament two years ago.
NCAA Tournament coverage averaged 9.4 million viewers and a 3.5/10 rating among adults 18-49, up 19% and 13% respectively from last year’s numbers. The numbers peaked at 9:00 PM, when CBS averaged 11.1 million viewers and a 4.0/10 among adults 18-49.
CBS finished second for the night in prime time in ratings and total viewers behind ABC, but finished tied for the #1 spot in the key adults 18-49 demographic.
Despite the good numbers, perhaps it says something about the viability of sports on prime time broadcast television that the 6.5 overnight is off 22% from the 8.3 CBS drew for its regular Thursday night line-up last week.
