Wins by Michigan State and Fairleigh Dickinson delivered the largest audiences of the NCAA Tournament’s opening rounds.
Sunday’s Michigan State-Marquette NCAA men’s basketball tournament second round game averaged a 5.9 rating and 10.91 million viewers on CBS, down 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from a higher-profile Michigan State-Duke game last year (6.2, 11.22M). As is typical of the late Sunday window on CBS, the game ranks as the most-watched of the tournament thus far.
The combined telecast window grossed an 8.3 (-11%) and 15.42 million (-10%) across CBS, TBS and TNT, with the latter two networks seeing declines of at least 20% for their respective games — Creighton-Baylor (1.2, 2.34M) and UConn-Saint Mary’s (1.2, 2.18M). That nonetheless ranks as the most-watched window of the tournament.
Later in the night, TBS, TNT and TruTV combined for a 4.8 (+2%) and 8.69 million (+4%) in a window that included FAU’s win over 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson. FDU’s defeat averaged a 1.6 and 2.94 million on TruTV, up 35% in ratings and 41% in viewership from last year (Miami-Auburn: 1.2, 2.09M), though down from the previous second round game involving a 16 seed, UMBC’s loss to Kansas State in the same window and on the same network five years ago (2.5, 4.60M).
The game was not the most-watched of the window, trailing Gonzaga-TCU on TBS (1.7, 2.97M) but ahead of Miami-Indiana on TNT (1.55, 2.79M).
By comparison, the Knights’ win over #1 Purdue on TNT Friday night averaged a 2.2 and 4.37 million — not just outdrawing UMBC’s historic win over Virginia on the same night and network in 2018 (2.0, 3.53M), but ranking as the most-watched first round game on cable since the current TV arrangement began in 2011. (As with all multi-year highs, keep in mind that out-of-home viewing was not tracked in Nielsen estimates prior to the 2021 tournament).
The game also delivered the largest first round audience of the current tournament and topped Kentucky-Providence on CBS head-to-head (2.15, 3.89M). The full telecast window, which also included Miami-Drake on TBS (1.1, 2.14M) and Gonzaga-Grand Canyon on TruTV (0.47, 879K), grossed a 5.9 (+6%) and 11.28 million (+7%), easily the highest of the first two rounds.
It should be noted that last year’s upset story — 15 seed Saint Peter’s — delivered larger audiences for its first two games (5.46M vs. Kentucky and 6.69M vs. Murray State), but both of those aired on CBS.
Most-watched 2023 NCAA Tournament games through first weekend
Returning to the weekend, CBS drew a 4.9 (-5%) and 9.50 million (-3%) for Arkansas-Kansas on Saturday and a 5.1 (+4%) and 9.40 million (+9%) for Kansas State-Kentucky on Sunday, ranking second and third for the tournament thus far.
The Razorbacks’ win aired in a more competitive window than last year, with Houston-Auburn (1.45, 2.85M) up 33% in ratings and 28% in viewership on TBS and 15-seed Princeton’s upset of Missouri (1.0, 1.90M) doubling last year’s equivalent window on TNT. The full telecast window had a 7.4 (+9%) and 14.26 million (+10%).
Later in the night, CBS drew a 3.5 (-5%) and 6.63 million (-1%) for Texas-Penn State, TBS a 1.8 (-20%) and 3.46 million (-21%) for Alabama-Maryland and TNT a 1.2 (+30%) and 2.33 million (+22%) for UCLA-Northwestern in a window that grossed a 6.5 (-5%) and 12.42 million (-4%).
Rounding out the weekend, CBS drew a 4.8 and 8.92 million for Tennessee-Duke — down a tick in ratings but up 2% in viewership from Kansas-Creighton a year ago (4.9, 8.71M) — and a 2.75 (-33%) and 4.82 million (-32%) for San Diego State-Furman on Saturday afternoon. Xavier-Pittsburgh opened Sunday’s slate with a 3.1 (-13%) and 5.50 million (-7%).
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.21)
