Ratings and viewership improved for six of the seven college basketball windows on CBS last weekend, including increases of over 50% for Duke/North Carolina, Wisconsin/Ohio State and Villanova/Pittsburgh.
The latest meeting between rivals Duke and North Carolina earned a 2.7 final rating and 4.611 million viewers on CBS last Saturday night, up 69% in ratings and 85% in viewership from the same matchup in a later timeslot last year (UNC/DUKE: 1.6, 2.498M, ESPN).
Compared to the last Duke/North Carolina game on CBS (3/8/09: 2.9, 4.625M), Saturday’s game was down 7% in ratings and virtually even in viewership.
Earlier Saturday, Villanova/Pittsburgh drew a 1.2 and 1.792 million viewers, up 100% in ratings and 127% in viewership from last year (UCLA/ASU: 0.6, 791K), but down 8% and up 1%, respectively, from 2009 (CONN/PITT: 1.3, 1.781M). The game had the biggest year-to-year increase of the weekend for college basketball on CBS.
The weekend’s lone regional window, featuing either Oregon/Arizona or Michigan State/Michigan, drew a 1.1 and 1.616 million viewers — up 10% in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (KU/MIZZ: 1.0, 1.457M), but down 8% and 4%, respectively, from 2009 (regional: 1.2, 1.692M).
Wrapping up Saturday coverage, Kansas/Missouri scored a 1.2 and 1.790 million, up 9% in ratings and 21% in viewership from last year (WVU/VILL: 1.1, 1.484M), but down 8% and 10%, respectively, from ’09 (TEX/KU: 1.3, 1.997M).
On Sunday, Wisconsin’s blowout loss to Ohio State drew a 1.9 and 3.093 million viewers, up 73% in ratings and 83% in viewersihp from last year (MICH/MSU: 1.1, 1.687M), but down 34% and 33%, respectively, from the comparable window in 2009, a previously mentioned game between Duke and North Carolina.
Meanwhile, the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game between Indiana State and Missouri State drew a 1.2 and 1.843 million, up 33% in ratings 50% in viewership from last year (UNI/WICHITA: 0.9, 1.226M), but down 29% and 30%, respectively, from ’09 (UNI/ILL ST: 1.7, 2.622M).
The only game of the weekend to not have an increase from last year was Kentucky/Tennessee, which drew a 1.5 and 2.241 million viewers, flat in ratings and down 2% in viewership from last year (UF/UK: 1.5, 2.276M). However, the matchup was the only game of the weekend to have an increase in both ratings and viewership compared to 2009 (regional: 1.4, 2.002M).
(Courtesy Robert Seidman, TV By the Numbers)
