Duke-UNC Highest Rated, Most-Watched Game of Season

As usual, the Duke-North Carolina rivalry delivered for ESPN.

Duke-UNC scored a 2.4 final rating and 4.1 million viewers on ESPN Saturday night, up 26% in ratings and 28% in viewership from their second meeting last season, which aired in an earlier timeslot (1.9, 3.2M), but down 8% and 4% respectively from 2015 (2.6, 4.2M).

The Tar Heels’ win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched college basketball game of the season on any network, topping the previous highs of 2.2 and 3.6 million for Kentucky-UNC on CBS in December. North Carolina has now played in three of the top four games this season.

Viewership was on the higher end of recent Duke-UNC matchups, ranking seventh out of the rivals’ 21 meetings over the past decade.

For the weekend, Saturday’s game ranked second among all sporting events behind NASCAR from Atlanta (3.8, 6.6M). In ratings, viewership and adults 18-49 (1.2), it comfortably topped its head-to-head competition — Premier Boxing Champions on CBS (1.9, 3.1M, 0.9 A18-49) and a Clippers-Bulls NBA game on ABC (1.1, 1.7M, 0.5 A18-49).

Figures do not include the 103,000 who streamed coverage on WatchESPN, the largest audience to watch a college basketball game on the platform.

In other action Saturday night, ESPN pulled a 1.1 and 1.6 million for Washington State-UCLA immediately after Duke-UNC — up a tick in ratings and 6% in viewership from Louisville-Virginia last year, which aired in a primetime window.

(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 3.7)