Ratings improved for the 2010 NCAA Tournament, but remained among the lowest rated ever.
CBS averaged a 6.0/13 rating for the NCAA Tournament, up 5% from last year (5.7/12), up 7% from 2008 (5.6/12), but down 2% from 2007 (6.1/13).
This marks the fourth-lowest rated NCAA Tournament in history, ahead of only 2009, 2008 and 2003. The 2003 NCAA Tournament, which featured several preemptions due to the War in Iraq, averaged a record low 5.0/10.
To put the 6.0 average in perspective, the NCAA Tournament averaged a 6.9 rating as recently as 2005. Compared to the 15-year high of 7.5 set by the 1996 NCAA Tournament, this year’s tournament was down 20%.
Though ratings were low historically, this is the second straight year that ratings have improved for the NCAA Tournament.
Average Ratings For NCAA Tournament Since 1995
Ratings/Viewership For 2010 NCAA Tournament
| Date | Time | Game(s) | Net | Rating | vs. ’09 | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., 3/16/10 | 7:30 PM | Winthrop/Arkansas Pine-Bluff | ESPN |
0.8
|
even
|
1,053
|
| Thu., 3/18/10 | 12:10 PM | Florida/BYU, Old Dominion/Notre Dame or Robert Morris/Villanova | CBS |
2.8
|
even
|
3,896
|
| 3:19 PM | N. Texas/Kansas St., Sam Houston St/Baylor, St. Mary’s/Richmond or Murray St/Vanderbilt | CBS |
3.0
|
-12%
|
4,257
|
|
| 7:00 PM | UNI/UNLV, E. Tenn. St./Kentucky, Ohio/Georgetown or Washington/Marquette | CBS |
5.7
|
even
|
8,897
|
|
| 10:10 PM | Lehigh/Kansas, Wake/Texas, San Diego St./Tenn., or Montana/New Mexico | CBS |
5.6
|
12%
|
8,881
|
|
| Fri., 3/19/10 | 12:10 PM | Morgan St./West Virginia, Minn./Xavier or Cornell/Temple | CBS |
2.7
|
-10%
|
3,638
|
| 2:37 PM | Missouri/Clemson, Oakland/Pitt., Wofford/Wisconsin or Siena/Purdue | CBS |
3.2
|
-9%
|
4,546
|
|
| 7:00 PM | FSU/Gonzaga, Ga. Tech/Okla. St., Ark. Pine-Bluff/Duke or New Mexico St./Mich. St. | CBS |
5.4
|
20%
|
8,558
|
|
| 10:06 PM | Vermont/Syracuse, UC Santa Barbara/Ohio St., Houston/Maryland or Louisville/Cal | CBS |
5.1
|
-9%
|
8,209
|
|
| Sat., 3/20/10 | 1:00 PM | Villanova/St. Mary’s | CBS |
4.0
|
3%
|
5,686
|
| 3:19 PM | Ohio/Tennessee or Murray St./Butler | CBS |
4.8
|
-4%
|
7,008
|
|
| 5:49 PM | UNI/Kansas, Baylor/Old Dominion or Washington/New Mexico | CBS |
6.5
|
-3%
|
10,477
|
|
| 8:15 PM | Kansas St./BYU or Kentucky/Wake Forest | CBS |
6.1
|
-6%
|
10,287
|
|
| Sun., 3/21/10 | 12:00 PM | Syracuse/Gonzaga | CBS |
3.6
|
-5%
|
5,408
|
| 2:14 PM | West Virginia/Missouri, Ga. Tech/Ohio St., Cornell/Wisconsin or Mich. St./Maryland | CBS |
6.3
|
9%
|
9,776
|
|
| 5:00 PM | Pitt./Xavier, Duke/Louisville or Purdue/Texas A&M | CBS |
6.8
|
-7%
|
10,889
|
|
| Thu., 3/25/10 | 7:00 PM | Syracuse/Butler or Washington/West Virginia | CBS |
6.0
|
7%
|
9,680
|
| 9:37 PM | Kansas St./Xavier or Kentucky/Cornell | CBS |
7.1
|
6%
|
11,317
|
|
| Fri., 3/26/10 | 7:00 PM | Tennessee/Ohio St. or St. Mary’s Baylor | CBS |
5.5
|
even
|
8,930
|
| 9:31 PM | UNI/Mich. St. or Purdue/Duke | CBS |
6.9
|
even
|
11,082
|
|
| Sat., 3/27/10 | 4:20 PM | Butler/Kansas St. | CBS |
4.8
|
-11%
|
7,441
|
| 6:55 PM | West Virginia/Kentucky | CBS |
7.3
|
11%
|
12,052
|
|
| Sun., 3/28/10 | 2:10 PM | Michigan St./Tennessee | CBS |
6.5
|
25%
|
10,067
|
| 4:55 PM | Duke/Baylor | CBS |
8.6
|
27%
|
13,758
|
|
| Sat., 4/3/10 | 6:00 PM | Butler/Michigan St. | CBS |
8.6
|
10%
|
14,460
|
| 9:02 PM | Duke/West Virginia | CBS |
9.2
|
8%
|
15,823
|
|
| Mon., 4/5/10 | 9:15 PM | Duke/Butler | CBS |
14.2
|
31%
|
23,944
|
