CBS Sports scored blockbuster numbers for the final game of the college basketball season.
The Louisvlle/Michigan NCAA Tournament National Championship Game drew a 14.0 rating and 23.4 million viewers on CBS Monday night, according to Nielsen fast-nationals, up 14% in ratings and 12% in viewership from Kentucky/Kansas last year (12.3, 20.9M), and up 20% and 17%, respectively, from Connecticut/Butler in 2011 (11.7, 20.1M).
The game peaked with a 16.1 and 27.1 million viewers from 11-11:30 PM ET.
Louisville/Michigan tied Duke/Butler in 2010 as the highest rated title game since North Carolina/Illinois in 2005 (14.2). The game also ranks as the second-most viewed title game since 2005, trailing only the 2010 game.
The telecast ranks as the highest rated basketball game of any kind (college, pro, or Olympics) since Game 7 of the Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals in 2010 (15.6), and the most-viewed since Game 6 of the Mavericks/Heat NBA Finals in 2011 (23.9M).
Excluding the NFL, Louisville/Michigan ranks as the #2 sporting event of the past year. Only the Alabama/Notre Dame BCS National Championship Game on ESPN (15.1, 26.4M) drew more viewers.
Overall, all three NCAA Final Four games had increases in ratings and viewership over last year.
10 Most-Viewed Sporting Events (Excluding the NFL and Olympics)
Past year (4/8/12-4/8/13)
| # | Date | Sport/Event | Game/Race | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon., 1/7/13 | NCAAF: BCS Champ. | Alabama/Notre Dame | ESPN |
15.1
|
26.4M
|
| 2 | Mon., 4/8/13 | NCAAB: Final Four | Louisville/Michigan | CBS |
14.0
|
23.4M
|
| 3 | Thu., 6/21/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Thunder/Heat G5 | ABC |
10.9
|
18.4M
|
| 4 | Tue., 6/19/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Thunder/Heat G4 | ABC |
10.5
|
17.5M
|
| 5 | Sat., 4/6/13 | NCAAB: Final Four | Michigan/Syracuse | CBS |
10.2
|
17.1M
|
| 6 | Tue., 1/1/13 | NCAAF: Rose Bowl | Stanford/Wisconsin | ESPN |
9.4
|
17.0M
|
| T7 | Thu., 6/14/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Thunder G2 | ABC |
10.4
|
16.7M
|
| T7 | Sun., 2/24/13 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Daytona 500 | FOX |
9.9
|
16.7M
|
| T9 | Tue., 6/12/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Thunder G1 | ABC |
9.9
|
16.2M
|
| T9 | Sat., 12/1/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Alabama/Georgia | CBS |
9.8
|
16.2M
|
(Monday’s numbers from CBS/Turner Sports)
