The NCAA Tournament First Four got off to a good start Tuesday night. In other news, the Atlantic-10 topped the non-Power 5 championship games, and Cavaliers-Rockets delivered a solid performance for ESPN.
Strong Start For First Four
- Kansas State-Wake Forest scored 1.8 million viewers Tuesday’s NCAA Tournament First Four on TruTV, up 20% from Wichita State-Vanderbilt last year (1.5M), up 9% from Mississippi-BYU in 2015 (1.6M), and the third-largest audience ever for the play-in round (28 telecasts). Earlier in the night, Mt. St. Mary’s-New Orleans had 1.3 million — up 84% from Florida Gulf Coast-Farleigh Dickinson last year (683K), up 18% from Hampton-Manhattan in ’15 (903K) and the most-watched #16 seed matchup in First Four history. Wednesday figures remained delayed late Thursday night.
A-10 Final Leads Mid-Major Tourneys
- Sunday’s Rhode Island-VCU Atlantic-10 Tournament final had a 1.1 final rating and 1.6 million viewers on CBS, up a tick in ratings and 19% in viewership from St. Joseph’s-VCU last year (1.0, 1.4M) and flat and up 1% respectively from VCU-Dayton in 2015 (1.61M to 1.60M). It was the most-watched A-10 final in at least four years and the top conference tournament final outside of the Power 5. In other action, the Nevada-Colorado State Mountain West final scored a 0.85 (-17%) and 1.3 million (-13%) Saturday evening, and the Connecticut-Cincinnati American Athletic title game had a 0.8 (-20%) and 1.2 million (-21%) on ESPN Sunday.
Cavs-Rockets Does Well For ESPN
- Cavaliers-Rockets scored a 1.5 final rating and 2.3 million viewers on ESPN’s NBA Sunday last weekend, the largest NBA audience on cable since Christmas Day, excluding Warriors games. It was the most-watched Bracketology lead-out on ESPN since the premiere of the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary The Fab Five in 2011 (2.7M). In other action, TNT scored 1.2 million for Hawks-Spurs and 996,000 for Lakers-Nuggets Monday night, up 35% and down 30% respectively from last year’s ESPN doubleheader of Pistons-Wizards (893K) and Cavaliers-Jazz (1.4M).
