The second half of Tuesday’s Jimmy V Classic scored a big increase on ESPN. In other news, FOX earned likely the lowest rating ever for college hoops on broadcast TV and a rematch of last year’s Women’s NCAA Tournament final did well despite SEC competition.
Big Jump For Indiana/Louisville
- Tuesday’s Indiana/Louisville Jimmy V Classic college basketball game drew 1.4 million viewers on ESPN, up 40% from Memphis/Florida last year (1.0M) and up 42% from N.C. State/Connecticut in 2012 (998K). Viewership for the early Villanova/Illinois game was not available. Last year’s Jimmy V Classic took place one week later; the 2012 event took place one week earlier. (via TV By the Numbers)
FOX Plumbs the Depths With College Basketball
- FOX drew a subterranean 0.2 final rating and 340,000 viewers for last Saturday’s Northwestern/Butler college basketball game, likely the lowest rated and least-watched college basketball telecast ever on broadcast television. The Bulldogs’ win aired directly opposite the SEC football championship game on CBS (7.8, 12.8M) and was not the top college basketball game in its timeslot. (via Sports Business Daily)
UConn/Notre Dame Rematch Solid For ESPN
- Also airing opposite the SEC Championship, the Connecticut/Notre Dame women’s college basketball game drew a 0.4 final rating and 618,000 viewers on ESPN last Saturday afternoon — easily topping the season’s first two women’s games on the ESPN family of networks. The Huskies’ win trounced Northwestern/Butler on FOX and also improved last year’s comparable ESPN telecast, the MLS Cup (505K). (via Awful Announcing)
