The 2013 NCAA Tournament hit multi-year highs in ratings and viewership.
CBS and Turner Sports averaged a combined 6.7 U.S. rating and 10.7 million viewers for coverage of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, up 10% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year (6.1, 9.6M), and up 5% in both measures compared to 2011 (6.4, 10.2M).
The 2013 tournament ranks as the highest rated since 2005 (6.9) and the most-viewed since 1994 (11.2M). This year’s tournament also ranks as the fourth in five years to have an increase in ratings.
Each individual game averaged a 2.8 rating and approximately 4.4 million viewers. CBS averaged a 5.0 and just under eight million viewers for 26 telecasts, TBS averaged a 1.8 and 2.9 million for sixteen, TNT averaged a 1.4 and 2.2 million for twelve, and TruTV averaged a 0.8 and 1.3 million for thirteen.
The top game of the tournament was, obviously, the Louisville/Michigan National Championship Game (14.0, 23.4M). Outside of the Final Four, the highest rated and most-viewed game was Louisville/Duke in the Elite Eight (8.8, 15.6M).
On the flip side, the lowest rating of the tournament was a 0.5 for Florida/Northwestern State, Saint Louis/New Mexico State and Miami/Pacific. The Miami/Pacific game also ranked as the least-viewed telecast of the tournament (652K).
Average Ratings For the NCAA Tournament
Past two decades
(Overall tournament average from CBS/Turner Sports)
