It was no ratings disaster, but Virginia-Texas Tech still ended up as one of the lowest rated NCAA Tournament title games.
Monday’s Virginia-Texas Tech NCAA Tournament national championship earned an 11.6 rating and 19.63 million viewers on CBS, up 26% in ratings and 23% in viewership from Villanova-Michigan on TBS, TNT and TruTV last year (9.2, 15.97M), but down 12% and 15% respectively from North Carolina-Gonzaga on CBS in 2017 (13.2, 23.00M).
Ratings and viewership were the third-lowest for the national championship since 2009, when North Carolina-Michigan State had a 10.8 and 17.65 million. Only the two title games on cable — Villanova-Michigan last year and Villanova-North Carolina in 2016 (10.6, 17.75M) — have earned lower numbers over that span.
The Cavaliers’ overtime win, which peaked with 23.5 million viewers from 11:30-11:45 PM ET, ranks as the sixth-lowest rated and ninth-least watched national championship on record (dates back to 1975).
Despite the lows, the game still ranks as the highest rated and most-watched basketball telecast — college or pro — since Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals (13.5, 24.53M). Last year’s NBA Finals topped out at a 10.4 rating (Game 3) and 18.47 million viewers (Game 2). Outside of football and the Olympics, no sporting event has had a larger audience since Game 7 of the 2017 World Series (15.8, 28.29M).
The national championship earned a 5.3 rating in adults 18-49, up 10% from last year on cable (4.8), but down 25% from 2017 on CBS (7.1). The 5.3 is the second-lowest for the title game since at least 1997, falling even below the 2016 final on cable (5.9). No other title game on CBS has dipped below a 6.3.
It also drew a 4.2 in adults 18-34, up 5% from last year (4.0) but down 29% from 2017 (5.9). Ratings in adults 25-54 (6.2) increased 15% from last year (5.4) but declined 22% from ’17 (7.9).
The complete NCAA Tournament averaged a combined 10.5 million viewers per window across CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, up 8% from last year, when the Final Four aired on cable, but down 3% from 2017 (10.8M).
Lowest rated, least-watched NCAA men’s basketball title games
| # | Lowest Rated | Least-Watched | ||||||
| Year | Game | Rtg | Net | Year | Game | Vwrs | Net | |
| 1 | 2018 | VIL-MICH | 9.2 | Turner | 2018 | VIL-MICH | 15.97M | Turner |
| 2 | 2016 | VIL-UNC | 10.6 | Turner | 2004 | UConn-GT | 17.09M | CBS |
| 3 | 2009 | UNC-MSU | 10.8 | CBS | 2006 | UF-UCLA | 17.54M | CBS |
| 4 | 2004 | UConn-GT | 11.0 | CBS | 2009 | UNC-MSU | 17.65M | CBS |
| 5 | 2006 | UF-UCLA | 11.2 | CBS | 2016 | VIL-UNC | 17.75M | Turner |
| 6 | 2019 | UVA-TTU | 11.6 | CBS | 2003 | SYR-KU | 18.57M | CBS |
| 7 | 2011 | UConn-BUT | 11.7 | CBS | 2008 | KU-MEM | 19.50M | CBS |
| 8 | 2008 | KU-MEM | 12.1 | CBS | 2007 | UF-OSU | 19.56M | CBS |
| 9 | 2007 | UF-OSU | 12.2 | CBS | 2019 | UVA-TTU | 19.63M | CBS |
| 10 | 2012 | UK-KU | 12.3 | CBS | 2011 | UConn-BUT | 20.06M | CBS |
[Numbers from Adage 4.10, ShowBuzz Daily 4.9, MarchMadnessTV/Twitter 4.9]
