The SEC title game was not as big a draw as usual, but still delivered one of the top college basketball audiences of the season.
Kentucky-Arkansas scored a 1.6 final rating and 2.7 million viewers in Sunday’s SEC Tournament final on ESPN, down 16% in ratings and 8% in viewership from Kentucky-Texas A&M last year (1.9, 2.9M) and down 24% and 19% respectively from Kentucky-Arkansas in 2015 (2.1, 3.3M).
The Wildcats’ win was the lowest rated and least-watched SEC final since the last time they missed the game, Mississippi-Florida in 2013 (1.1, 1.7M). Not including 2008, when coverage was moved to ESPN2 due to weather delays, it was the third-lowest rated SEC title game in at least 19 years.
Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s game still delivered the tenth-largest college basketball audience on any network this season. Kentucky played in four of the top ten games, matching Duke and North Carolina for most among any teams.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 3.16)
