NCAA Tournament ratings mostly declined over the weekend, but UMBC’s second game of the tournament delivered record numbers for TruTV.
Sunday’s Kansas State-UMBC NCAA Tournament game earned a 2.5 rating and 4.6 million viewers on TruTV, up 135% in ratings and 145% in viewership from last year (USC-Baylor: 1.1, 1.9M), up 70% and 86% respectively from 2016 (TAMU-UNI: 1.5, 2.5M) and the network’s largest NCAA Tournament audience ever.
The previous high was 3.5 million for Wisconsin-Oregon in 2015.
Despite that huge jump, the full telecast window declined 10% in ratings (to 5.9) and 9% in viewership (to 10.2M). On TNT, Florida State-Xavier (2.05, 3.4M) fell 41% in ratings and 43% in viewership (from SC-DUKE: 3.45, 6.0M). On TBS, West Virginia’s blowout of Marshall (1.3, 2.2M) dropped 35% in both measures.
Overall, it was a down weekend for the tournament. Six of eight windows declined, including all four on Sunday.
Sunday’s evening window combined for a 7.9 (-27%) and 13.2 million (-29%). Texas A&M-North Carolina scored a tournament-high 5.7 and 9.4 million on CBS, but that was down 12% and 14% from last year (KU-MSU: 6.5, 11.0M). On TNT, Nevada-Cincinnati (1.1, 1.91M) plunged 57% and 58% (from UNC-ARK: 2.6, 4.5M). On TBS, Clemson’s rout of Auburn (1.1, 1.86M) sank 38% and 39%.
Shifting to the afternoon, CBS drew a 5.3 (-15%) and 8.6 million (-16%) for Syracuse-Michigan and a 3.6 and 5.7 million (both -22%) for Purdue-Butler. Notably, all three CBS games increased slightly over 2016.
Saturday’s coverage fared better, at least in primetime. The late window had a combined 7.9 (+13%) and 13.5 million (+11%), led by a 4.1 (+7%) and 6.9 million (+5%) for Gonzaga-Ohio State on CBS. Michigan-Houston followed with a 2.2 (+13%) and 3.8 million (+13%) on TBS, and Texas Tech-Florida had a 1.6 (+30%) and 2.8 million (+27%) on TNT.
The evening window also increased, up 2% to a 7.7 and 13.0 million. Kentucky-Buffalo had a 4.7 and 7.7 million on CBS, but that was down 11% from last year (GONZ-NW: 5.2, 8.7M) and 26% from 2016 (UK-IND: 6.3, 10.5M). Cable made up for the shortfall, with Kansas-Seton Hall (1.4, 2.4M) up 33% and 37% on TBS and Loyola-Chicago’s upset of Tennessee (1.7, 2.9M) up 26% and 25% on TNT.
Both daytime windows were down significantly. Duke-Rhode Island drew a 4.1 and 6.6 million on CBS, down 30% in ratings and viewership from last year (Wisconsin-Villanova: 5.9, 9.4M) and 20% and 19% from 2016 (Duke-Yale: 5.1, 8.1M). Villanova-Alabama had a 3.1 (-15%) and 4.7 million (-18%).
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 3.20]
