For the third time this season, UNC-Duke viewership could not measure up to last year.
Friday’s North Carolina-Duke ACC Tournament semifinal earned 2.8 million viewers on ESPN, down 8% from the rivals’ meeting in last year’s semifinals, which aired in an earlier timeslot (3.1M). Ratings were not immediately available.
Compared to last year’s late semifinal, Notre Dame-Florida State, viewership unsurprisingly soared 53% from 1.8 million. All figures include streaming viewership.
All three UNC-Duke games this season declined from last year’s comparable meetings, with the two regular season games down double-digits. Though down overall, Friday’s game posted increases in both adults 18-49 (1.1, +9%) and adults 18-34 (1.0, +7%) over the teams’ semifinal meeting last year.
Entering the weekend, Friday’s game ranked as the season’s seventh-most watched college basketball telecast. Even in a down year, Duke-UNC games made up three of the top ten, though the first meeting will likely drop out of the mix once the weekend results are factored in.
Speaking of, Saturday’s Virginia-UNC ACC Tournament final delivered a 2.1 overnight rating — even with last year (Duke-Notre Dame) and up 17% from 2016 (UNC-UVA: 1.8). The 2.1 tied the highest overnight of Championship Week, matching the Big Ten Tournament final one week earlier.
In other weekend action, Saturday’s Kansas-West Virginia Big 12 Tournament final had a 1.7 overnight (+42%). Sunday’s Kentucky-Tennessee SEC Tournament final had a 1.6 (+7%). ESPN’s Bracketology show had a 1.3 overnight, not far off the 1.6 TBS earned for the Selection Show. ESPN beat TBS in the 7 PM ET hour, according to a Monday release.
Elsewhere on the dial, the Villanova-Providence Big East Tournament final had a 1.1 overnight on FOX. That was the game’s highest overnight since the conference split in 2013.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 3.12, ESPN PR, Sports Business Daily 3.12]
