The NCAA men’s Final Four was a mixed bag in the ratings, and in a first, both games were outdrawn by a women’s national semifinal the prior night.
Saturday’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament national semifinals averaged a combined 6.0 rating and 12.84 million viewers across TBS, TNT and truTV — down 2% in ratings but up 4% in viewership from last year on CBS (6.2, 12.34M).
The games averaged a 21 share, tying 2001, 2015 and 2022 as the highest since 1998. (The share — the percentage of homes or viewers watching in the average minute out of the number using television — will tend to rise as television viewership declines.)
UConn-Alabama averaged a combined 6.7 and 14.18 million, up 5% in ratings and 10% in viewership from UConn-Miami on CBS last year (6.4, 12.85M). Purdue-NC State led in with a 5.3 and 11.45 million, down 12% and 4% respectively from San Diego State-FAU a year ago (6.0, 11.90M).
TBS was the top draw for both semifinals with a 3.1 and 6.57 million for UConn-Alabama and a 2.6 and 5.75 million for Purdue-NC State, but TNT ranked not far behind at a 3.0 and 6.39 million and 2.2 and 4.64 million, respectively — the smallest gap between the TBS and TNT airings since the Turner networks began airing the Final Four in 2014.
As one would expect, truTV brought up the rear with a 0.6 and 1.16 million for UConn-Alabama and a 0.47 and 1.06 million for Purdue-NC State.
Neither national semifinal averaged as large an audience as Iowa-UConn in the Women’s Final Four the previous night, marking the first time ever that any game of the Women’s Final Four has averaged more viewers than either of the men’s games. Iowa’s win averaged a 7.1 and 14.42 million across ESPN (6.9, 13.91M) and ESPN2 (0.27, 505K).
This year marks the first time in recent memory — if not ever — that the men’s Final Four was not the most-watched sporting event of the week in which it took place.
The full Men’s Final Four did outdraw the women’s edition, which averaged a 5.5 rating and 11.01 million.
Heading into UConn’s national championship victory over Purdue on Monday, the NCAA men’s tournament was averaging a combined 4.9 rating and 9.69 million viewers per window across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV — down 3% in ratings but up 4% in viewership from last year (5.1, 9.35M). On an individual basis, the games were averaging a 2.0 and 3.99 million, down a tick and up 2% respectively from last year (2.1, 3.90M).
Viewership has risen disproportionately in the key young adult demographic of 18-34 (+15%).
