Ratings for most regular season men’s college basketball games during the 2008-09 season. Ratings and shares are presented for games on broadcast. For games on cable, U.S. area rating is presented with cable rating in parentheses ().
During the 2008-09 regular season, college basketball games averaged a 1.3 rating on CBS, matching last year’s record-low. Meanwhile, ABC averaged a 1.1 for its smattering of games, off 8% from last year.
On cable, ESPN averaged a 0.9 U.S. rating (1.0 cable) and 1.3 million viewers for college basketball games, flat in ratings but up 4% in viewership from a 0.9 (1.0 cable) and 1.2 million last year. Overall, ESPN had its most viewed season in terms of households and its second-most viewed season in total viewers dating back to 1990.
ESPN2 averaged a 0.3 U.S. rating (0.4 cable) and 479,000 viewers for its college basketball coverage, flat in ratings and up 11% in viewership from ’08.
Both ESPN and ESPN2 were helped by increased ratings for Championship Week coverage; ESPN had its most viewed Championship Week in households and total viewers since at least ’90.
Ratings for most regular season college basketball telecasts in ’08-’09.
Source: Sports Business Daily
Asterisk (*) indicates overnight rating
| Date | Time | Game | Net | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., 11/26/08 | 10:10 PM | Notre Dame/North Carolina | ESPN | 1.3 (1.5) |
| Tue., 12/2/08 | 9:08 PM | Duke/Purdue | ESPN | 1.4 (1.7) |
| Wed., 12/3/08 | 9:17 PM | North Carolina/Michigan State | ESPN | 1.4 (1.6) |
| Sat., 12/13/08 | 2:00 PM | Memphis/Georgetown | CBS | 1.1/3 |
| 4:30 PM | Indiana/Kentucky | CBS | 1.3/3 | |
| Sat., 12/20/08 | 2:00 PM | Regional coverage | CBS | 1.4/3* |
| 4:00 PM | Regional coverage | CBS | 1.9/4* | |
| Sat., 12/27/08 | 4:00 PM | West Virginia/Ohio State | CBS | 0.9/2* |
| Sat., 1/3/09 | 4:11 PM | NC State/Florida | CBS | 0.8/2 |
| Sun., 1/4/09 | 4:30 PM | Kentucky/Louisville | CBS | 2.2/4 |
| Wed., 1/7/09 | 7:00 PM | Davidson/Duke | ESPN | 1.4 (1.6) |
| Sat., 1/10/09 | 12:00 PM | Louisville/Villanova | ESPN | 0.9 (1.0) |
| 1:00 PM | Kansas/Michigan State | CBS | 1.3/3 | |
| 2:14 PM | Duke/Florida State | ESPN | 1.1 (1.3) | |
| Sun., 1/11/09 | 1:30 PM | Wisconsin/Purdue | CBS | 0.5/1 |
| Mon., 1/12/09 | 9:10 PM | Texas/Oklahoma | ESPN | 1.2 (1.4) |
| Tue., 1/13/09 | 9:03 PM | Kentucky/Tennessee | ESPN | 1.1 (1.2) |
| Sat., 1/17/09 | 1:30 PM | Georgetown/Duke | CBS | 1.4/3 |
| 3:30 PM | Regional action | ABC | 1.0/2 | |
| 3:45 PM | Arizona State/UCLA | CBS | 1.0/2 | |
| 4:13 PM | Illinois/Michigan State | ESPN | 1.0 (1.2) | |
| 6:19 PM | Pittsburgh/Louisville | ESPN | 1.5 (1.8) | |
| 9:00 PM | Miami/North Carolina | ESPN | 1.1 (1.3) | |
| Wed., 1/21/09 | 9:13 PM | Clemson/North Carolina | ESPN | 1.2 (1.4) |
| Sat., 1/24/09 | 12:00 PM | Maryland/Duke | ESPN | 1.0 (1.2) |
| 3:30 PM | Memphis/Tennessee | CBS | 1.0/2 | |
| 7:00 PM | Connecticut/Notre Dame | ESPN | 1.0 (1.2) | |
| Sun., 1/25/09 | 1:30 PM | Florida/Vanderbilt | CBS | 0.8/2 |
| 3:45 PM | Michigan State/Ohio State | CBS | 1.3/3 | |
| Mon., 1/26/09 | 9:02 PM | Oklahoma/Oklahoma State | ESPN | 1.0 (1.2) |
| Tue., 1/27/09 | 7:00 PM | Kentucky/Ole Miss | ESPN | 0.8 (1.0) |
| 9:11 PM | Purdue/Wisconsin | ESPN | 0.8 (1.0) | |
| Wed., 1/28/09 | 7:00 PM | Duke/Wake Forest | ESPN | 1.7 (2.0) |
| Sat., 1/31/09 | 12:00 PM | Notre Dame/Purdue | ESPN | 0.9 (1.0) |
| 1:00 PM | Regional action | CBS | 0.9/2 | |
| 3:30 PM | Regional action | ABC | 1.1/3 | |
| 9:00 PM | Florida/Tennessee | ESPN | 0.9 (1.0) | |
| Mon., 2/2/09 | 7:00 PM | Connecticut/Louisville | ESPN | 1.1 (1.3) |
| Wed., 2/4/09 | 9:05 PM | Duke/Clemson | ESPN | 1.3 (1.5) |
| Sat., 2/7/09 | 1:00 PM | Regional action | CBS | 0.6/2 |
| 3:30 PM | Regional action | ABC | 0.8/- | |
| 4:10 PM | Indiana/Michigan State | ESPN | 0.9 (1.0) | |
| 6:17 PM | Michigan/Connecticut | ESPN | 1.1 (1.3) | |
| Sun., 2/8/09 | 1:00 PM | Purdue/Illinois | CBS | 0.8/2 |
| Wed., 2/11/09 | 9:03 PM | North Carolina/Duke | ESPN | 2.1 (2.5) |
| Sat., 2/14/09 | 1:00 PM | Regional action | CBS | 1.2/3 |
| 3:30 PM | Regional action | ABC | 1.0/2 | |
| Sun., 2/15/09 | 1:00 PM | Illinois/Indiana | CBS | 1.1/3 |
| Mon., 2/16/09 | 7:00 PM | Pittsburgh/Connecticut | ESPN | 1.8 (2.1) |
| 9:12 PM | Texas/Texas A&M | ESPN | 1.1 (1.3) | |
| Sat., 2/21/09 | 1:00 PM | Regional action | CBS | 1.1/3 |
| 3:30 PM | North Carolina/Maryland | ABC | 1.3/- | |
| 9:00 PM | Oklahoma/Texas | ESPN | 1.6 (1.9) | |
| Sun., 2/22/09 | 1:00 PM | Regional action | CBS | 1.6/4 |
| Mon., 2/23/09 | 7:00 PM | Louisville/Georgetown | ESPN | 1.0 (1.2) |
| 9:07 PM | Kansas/Oklahoma | ESPN | 1.7 (1.9) | |
| Wed., 2/25/09 | 7:00 PM | Connecticut/Marquette | ESPN | 1.2 (1.4) |
| 9:06 PM | Duke/Maryland | ESPN | 1.5 (1.7) | |
| Sat., 2/28/09 | 12:00 PM | Georgia Tech/North Carolina | CBS | 1.1/3 |
| 2:08 PM | Notre Dame/Connecticut | CBS | 1.5/4 | |
| 3:30 PM | Regional action | ABC | 1.2/3 | |
| 4:03 PM | LSU/Kentucky | CBS | 1.4/3 | |
| Sun., 3/1/09 | 12:00 PM | Marquette/Louisville | CBS | 1.3/3 |
| 2:04 PM | Regional action | CBS | 1.7/4 | |
| 4:10 PM | Michigan State/Illinois | CBS | 1.4/3 | |
| Wed., 3/4/09 | 7:00 PM | North Carolina/Virginia Tech | ESPN | 1.2 (1.4) |
| Sat., 3/7/09 | 12:00 PM | Connecticut/Pittsburgh | CBS | 1.3/4 |
| 2:06 PM | Regional action | CBS | 1.2/3 | |
| 3:30 PM | Regional action | ABC | 1.0/3 | |
| 4:08 PM | Texas/Kansas | CBS | 1.2/3 | |
| 9:00 PM | Louisville/West Virginia | ESPN | 1.2 (1.4) | |
| Sun., 3/8/09 | 12:00 PM | Regional action | CBS | 1.4/4 |
| 2:30 PM | MVC Championship, Northern Iowa/Illinois State | CBS | 1.3/3 | |
| 4:20 PM | Duke/North Carolina | CBS | 2.9/6 | |
| Thu., 3/12/09 | 7:00 PM | Big East Qtrs, West Virginia/Pittsburgh | ESPN | 1.3 (1.5) |
| 9:32 PM | Big East Qtrs, Syracuse/Connecticut | ESPN | 1.8 (2.1) | |
| 9:30 PM | Big East Semifinals, Syracuse/West Virginia | ESPN | 1.8 (2.1) | |
| Sat., 3/14/09 | 11:30 AM | CUSA Championship, Memphis/Tulsa | CBS | 0.9/3 |
| 1:35 PM | Big Ten Semifinal, Ohio State/Mich. St | CBS | 1.5/4 | |
| 4:08 PM | ACC Semifinal, Duke/Maryland | ESPN | 1.3 (1.5) | |
| 4:11 PM | Big Ten Semifinal, Purdue/Illinois | CBS | 1.2/3 | |
| 6:12 PM | Big 12 Championship, Missouri/Baylor | ESPN | 1.4 (1.7) | |
| 6:14 PM | Pac-10 Championship, USC/Arizona St. | CBS | 1.5/3 | |
| 9:00 PM | Big East Championship, Louisville/Syracuse | ESPN | 2.4 (2.8) | |
| Sun., 3/15/09 | 1:00 PM | SEC Championship, Miss. St/Tennessee | CBS | 1.9/5 |
| 1:01 PM | ACC Championship, Duke/Florida State | ESPN | 1.2 (1.4) | |
| 3:25 PM | Big Ten Championship, Purdue/Ohio St. | CBS | 2.5/6 | |
| 6:00 PM | Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show | CBS | 4.3/9 |
