Viewership was mixed for college basketball’s Champions Classic.
Tuesday’s Kentucky/Duke college basketball game drew 3.1 million viewers on ESPN, up 26% from the same matchup last year (2.5M) but down 22% from Michigan State/Kentucky in 2013 (4.0M).
The Wildcats’ win earned the second-largest audience ever for the Champions Classic (10 telecasts dating back to 2011), trailing only the aforementioned Michigan State/Kentucky game. Kentucky has played in the three most-watched Champions Classic games, with a 2012 Duke/Kentucky matchup ranking third (3.0M).
In the nightcap, Kansas/Michigan State had 1.9 million — down 32% from Kansas/Kentucky last year (2.7M) and down 38% from Duke/Kansas in 2013 (3.0M). The Spartans’ win ranks as the least-watched Champions Classic game, trailing the same matchup in 2012 (2.0M).
The doubleheader completed ESPN’s annual 24 hours of college basketball marathon. The top game outside of the Champions Classic was Oklahoma/Memphis late Tuesday afternoon, which had 668,000. The least-watched game was Green Bay/East Tennessee St. at 6 AM ET, which had 68,000.
The complete marathon averaged 595,000 viewers, up 6% from last year (560K).
(Tue. numbers from ESPN Media Zone; additional info via Sports TV Ratings)
