Though down from last year on CBS, Saturday’s Elite Eight clash between Wisconsin and Arizona set a cable TV record for college basketball.
The Wisconsin/Arizona NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game earned 9.9 million viewers on TBS, according to SI.com — down 12% from Wichita State/Ohio State on CBS in an earlier timeslot last year (11.3M), and down 10% from Ohio State/Syracuse in 2012 (10.9M). Despite the double-digit decline, the game ranks as the most-viewed college basketball telecast ever on a single cable network.
Wisconsin/Arizona also ranks as the 13th most-viewed basketball game of any kind (college or pro) in cable TV history.
This year is the first time TBS has aired the Elite Eight. The network will air two Elite Eight games every year for the duration of the current NCAA television contract (expires in 2024). TBS also has the Final Four semifinals this year, which are sure to break Saturday’s record.
Saturday’s early game between Dayton and Florida earned 7.2 million viewers on TBS, even with last year’s Syracuse/Marquette game on CBS (7.2M), and the second-largest college basketball audience in cable history.
(Sun. numbers from SI.com, Sports Business Daily)
