Chart updated with persons 2+ audiences for the four games played Saturday April 4, 2015 (the Final Four Round):
- Telecast 65: TBS/TNT/TRU Saturday 6:00 pm #1-Duke 81 #7-Michigan State 61 (Duke up 36-25 at half)
- Telecast 66: TBS/TNT/TRU Saturday 9:00 pm #1-Wisconsin 71 #1-Kentucky 64 (Tied 36-36 at half)
The early Saturday game on TBS/TNT/TRU (telecast 65) averaged 15,307,000 persons 2+ across the three “Team Stream” networks, very much in line with previous years for that game’s time period. But the 9 pm game Saturday (Wisconsin upsetting Kentucky and handing them their first defeat of the season) behaved like a championship game: averaging 22,626,000 persons 2+ (well above the 16 million person range for that game in recent years). Of the 22.6 million viewers for Wisconsin-Kentucky, 16,796,000 viewers watched the main telecast on TBS announced by Jim Nantz and the rest of the CBS “A” team, 4,501,000 viewers watched the game on TNT with the Kentucky announcers, and 1,329,000 viewers found TRU TV to hear the Wisconsin announcers.
Tournament to Date Ratings Averages
NCAA Basketball Tournament averages for Persons 2+ live+same day. Through the third Saturday of the tournament, and now including all the CBS daytime games.
CBS is still pacing behind 2014 with total viewers (persons 2+) and well behind the 2012 and 2013 pace when it aired the Final Four games on Saturday. TBS almost hit 5 million viewers in 2015, more than a million better than 2014. The 2015 tournament as a whole is pacing +6% above 2014 but just about even with 2013.
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NCAA Basketball Tournament: PERSONS 2+ Audience Averages through third Sunday (telecasts 1-66) |
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| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||
| CBS | 6,916,000 | 7,341,000 | 6,849,000 | 6,583,000 | |
| TBS | 2,453,000 | 2,903,000 | 3,791,000 | 4,809,000 | |
| TNT | 1,856,000 | 2,198,000 | 2,654,000 | 2,665,000 | |
| TRU | 1,177,000 | 1,278,000 | 1,253,000 | 1,307,000 | |
| All Nets | 3,784,000 | 4,136,000 | 3,920,000 | 4,162,000 | |
With men 18-49, the numbers for the entire tournament are now even with last year but still below 2012 and 2013. The CBS declines this year have all been mitigated by increases for each of the cable partners, especially TBS.
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NCAA Basketball Tournament: MEN 18-49 Rating Averages through third Sunday (telecasts 1-66) |
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| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||
| CBS | 3.31 | 3.25 | 3.08 | 2.79 | |
| TBS | 1.37 | 1.58 | 1.85 | 2.17 | |
| TNT | 0.98 | 1.15 | 1.32 | 1.36 | |
| TRU | 0.69 | 0.70 | 0.65 | 0.68 | |
| All Nets | 1.90 | 1.96 | 1.86 | 1.87 | |
NEXT UPDATE: Late Tuesday we will have the final update with nationals for the National Championship game on CBS Monday.
- Telecast 67: CBS Monday 9:00 pm #1-Duke 68 #1-Wisconsin 63 (Tied 31-31 at half)
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