TBS earned the largest audience ever for a basketball game on a single cable network.
Saturday’s Kentucky/Notre Dame NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game drew an 8.4 final rating and 14.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 45% in ratings and 49% in viewership from Wisconsin/Arizona last year (5.8, 9.9M) and up 24% and 30%, respectively, from Wichita State/Ohio State on CBS in 2013 (6.8, 11.3M). The game peaked with an 11.1 and 19.7 million from 10:45-11 PM ET.
The Wildcats’ close win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched basketball game ever on a single cable network, topping the previous record of 7.7 and 13.3 million for Game 7 of the Celtics/Heat NBA Eastern Conference Finals in 2012. Including simulcasts, it ranks second behind last year’s Kentucky/Wisconsin Final Four game on TBS, TNT and TruTV (9.2, 16.3M).
It also ranks as the highest rated and most-watched telecast of any kind in the history of TBS. While last year’s Kentucky/Wisconsin game remains the top program in the history of Turner Sports, TBS earned a relatively modest 5.7 and 10.4 million for its coverage.
Overall, Saturday’s game earned the fourth-largest non-football sports audience in cable history. The only such telecasts to earn a larger audience were Kentucky/Wisconsin and two of last year’s FIFA World Cup matches on ESPN. Turner Sports has aired six of the top ten.
In addition to the various cable records, the 8.4 rating ranks as the highest for a Saturday Elite Eight game — on broadcast or cable — since Illinois/Arizona in 2005 (8.7). Including Wisconsin/Arizona earlier in the day, the numbers for which were not disclosed in a Sunday press release, TBS averaged a 6.8 and 11.7 million for Saturday’s Elite Eight doubleheader — up 33% and 34%, respectively, from last year, and the highest since 2005.
The NCAA Tournament has now averaged a combined 6.3 rating and 9.9 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, up 3% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year. It is tied as the highest rated NCAA Tournament since 1994 and ranks as the most-watched since 1993.
(Sat. numbers from CBS/Turner Sports)
