Ratings fell short of their much-hyped first meeting this season, but Duke-UNC still delivered for ESPN.
Saturday’s Duke-North Carolina men’s college basketball game scored a 2.5 rating and 4.16 million viewers on ESPN, up 25% in ratings and 24% in viewership from the rivals’ second meeting last season (2.0, 3.37M). Compared to their second meeting in 2017, ratings increased a tick, but viewership fell a fraction of a percent (from 4.164M to 4.162M).
The Tar Heels’ win delivered the second-largest audience of the college basketball season, behind only the first UNC-Duke game last month (2.7, 4.34M).
Duke has now played in the four most-watched games this season, five of the top seven and six of the top nine.
The absence of Zion Williamson likely kept the game from greater heights. Last month’s UNC-Duke game, which saw Williamson play just 30 seconds before leaving with an injury, posted an 80 percent increase in ratings and delivered the largest regular season college basketball audience in five years.
For the weekend, Saturday’s game ranked second among sporting events behind Sunday’s NASCAR race on FOX (2.9, 4.79M). It took top honors in adults 18-49 (1.2).
In other action, Michigan-Michigan State scored a 1.7 and 2.85 million viewers immediately after Duke-UNC. The Spartans’ win ranks as the tenth-most watched college basketball game this season, with Michigan having played in three of the top ten. Overall, Duke, Michigan or Kentucky have played in the 13 most-watched games this season.
On CBS, Florida-Kentucky topped the weekend charts with a 1.3 and 2.09 million on Saturday. FOX topped out at a 0.5 and 751,000 for Georgetown-Marquette, which also aired Saturday. The comparable weekend last year was championship week.
Most-watched college basketball games this season
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 3.12]
