Not since the days of Tony Shaloub has Monk moved the needle so much.
Kentucky/North Carolina scored a 2.2 final rating and 3.6 million viewers in the CBS Sports Classic last Saturday afternoon, up 38% in ratings and 50% in viewership from Ohio State/Kentucky last year (1.6, 2.4M) and the most-watched college basketball game outside of the NCAA Tournament since the 2015 Big Ten Tournament final (3.9M).
The Wildcats’ last-second win, in which freshman Malik Monk scored 47 points and the game winner, ranks as the most-watched game between the rivals since at least 2008. Each of the team’s previous five meetings — 2014 (1.8, 2.8M), 2013 (1.7, 2.7M), 2011 (2.0, 3.1M), 2010 (1.7, 2.7M) and 2009 (1.5, 2.2M) — aired at either Noon ET or on cable.
For the weekend, Saturday’s game ranked second among non-NFL sporting events behind the Las Vegas Bowl on ABC (2.4, 3.7M).
In the first half of the CBS Sports Classic, Ohio State/UCLA had a 1.2 and 1.8 million — up 50% in ratings and viewership from UCLA/UNC in an earlier slot last year (0.8, 1.2M). Memphis/Oklahoma started the day with a 0.7 and 1.1 million.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 12/20)
