Like the North Carolina/Notre Dame nightcap, the first half of Sunday’s Elite Eight doubleheader also hit a ratings low.
Syracuse/Virginia in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight earned a 4.5 final rating and 7.6 million viewers on TBS last Sunday, down a third in ratings and 28% in viewership from Michigan State/Louisville last year (6.7, 10.6M) and down 26% and 23%, respectively, from Connecticut/Michigan State in 2014 (6.1, 9.8M), both of which were afternoon games on CBS.
Compared to the last time Elite Eight games aired on Easter Sunday, ratings declined 21% and viewership 19% from a 5.7 and 9.4 million for Michigan/Florida.
The 4.5 rating is the lowest for the early Sunday Elite Eight window since at least 1998, falling below the previous mark of 4.6 for North Carolina/Tulsa in 2000. Sunday’s late window also had its lowest rating since at least ’98, and all four Elite Eight telecasts had a year-over-year decline.
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily)
