Returning to its normal schedule for the first time in three years, the men’s NCAA basketball tournament is off to its best start in five.
CBS and Turner Sports are averaging 9.12 million viewers per window through the first weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, up 12% from last year and the largest average at this point of the event since 2017.
Sunday’s Duke-Michigan State second round game ranks as the highest rated and most-watched of the tournament thus far with a 6.2 rating and 11.22 million viewers on CBS, trailing only Duke-UCF in the same window three years ago (12.88M) as the most-watched first or second round tournament game since 2014.
Comparisons to last year hold little relevance because of the altered schedule and Nielsen’s undercount of out-of-home viewing, but the Blue Devils’ win increased 37% in ratings and as much as 43% in viewership from Syracuse-West Virginia in the same Sunday evening window last year (4.5, 7.86M, pending revision).
The complete telecast window, which included Iowa State-Wisconsin on TNT (1.5, 2.95M) and Texas Tech-Notre Dame on TBS (1.6, 2.92M), combined for a 9.3 and 17.09 million — trailing only the 2019 window that included Duke-UCF (17.32M) as the most-watched in the first or second round since 2017.
Ranking second for the tournament-to-date, Michigan-Tennessee drew a 5.2 and 9.83 million on CBS Saturday evening — the most-watched first or second round game that did not involve Duke since 2017 (Michigan State-Kansas: 10.96M). Combined with UCLA-St. Mary’s on TBS (1.1, 2.23M) and Providence-Richmond on TNT (0.5, 955K), the full window averaged a 6.8 and 13.02 million.
Creighton-Kansas placed third with a 4.9 and 8.71 million earlier Saturday, followed by Ohio State-Villanova on Sunday (4.9, 8.62M) and North Carolina-Baylor on Saturday (4.1, 7.12M).
Placing just outside of the top five, Saint Peter’s win over Murray State Saturday evening scored a 3.7 and 6.69 million on CBS — easily the most-watched first or second round game involving a 15 or 16 seed under the current scheduling format that began in 2011. The previous high was 4.60 million for 16 seed UMBC’s second round loss to Kansas State on TruTV in ’18. Keep in mind that the Peacocks’ win was the only such game to air on CBS.
Overall, of the NCAA Tournament games involving a 15 or 16 seed under the current TV format, only Florida-Gulf Coast’s Sweet 16 loss to Florida in 2013 averaged a larger audience — 6.74 million on TBS.
The complete Saturday night window, which included Gonzaga-Memphis on TBS (2.3, 4.37M) and Arkansas-New Mexico State on TNT (0.9, 1.92M), averaged a 6.9 and 12.98 million.
Going back to Friday’s first round action, Michigan State-Davidson was the day’s top draw with a 2.7 and 4.96 million on CBS, anchoring a window that averaged a 4.9 and 9.06 million. The Duke-Cal State Fullerton lead-in was comparably soft draw at a 2.0 and 3.50 million, albeit in a more competitive window that included Illinois-Chattanooga on TNT (1.7, 3.47M) and Iowa State-LSU on TBS (1.5, 2.89M) and combined for a 5.5 and 10.54 million.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.22, network PR]
