CBS saw solid increases in ratings and viewership for last Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen games.
Thursday’s first NCAA Tournament window, featuring either Butler/Syracuse or West Virginia/Washington, drew a 6.0/11 final rating and 9.7 million viewers on CBS, up 7% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year’s comparable telecast (5.6/10, 8.6 mil).
The 6.0 rating is tied as the best for the early Thursday Sweet Sixteen window since 2006 (7.6).
The nightcap, either Xavier/Kansas St. or Kentucky/Cornell, drew a 7.1/13 and 11.3 million viewers, up 6% and 9%, respectively, from last year (6.7/12, 10.4 mil).
The 7.1 is tied as the highest for the late Thursday Sweet Sixteen window since ’04 (7.2).
The telecast was the second highest and second-most viewed of Thursday night, behind only an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on ABC (7.6/12, 11.6 mil).
