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March 21, 2017
 

SKEDBALL: March Madness TV Ratings through First Sunday

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Written by: Mitch Metcalf
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Through Sunday and 52 games, the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament on CBS and three Turner networks (TNT, TBS and TruTV) is combining for over 11.6 million viewers 2+ live+same day in an average minute, up +10% from last year and up +6% from the 2012-2016 average to a recent high, according to Nielsen television ratings. CBS (5.9 million viewers 2+ for its 15 games so far) hit a recent high for the network, while TNT (2.4 million viewers 2+) is near its recent high in 2015.  TBS (2.0 million viewers 2+) and TruTV (1.25 million viewers 2+) are closer to their network averages.

NCAA March Madness P2+ 2012-2017 thru 52

In the sports sales demographic of men 18-49, the four networks are combining for a 5.06 demo rating through Sunday, +4% above last year but -7% below the 2012-2016 average, as streaming (not counted in these ratings) takes more of a toll on younger viewing.

NCAA March Madness M18-49 2012-2017 thru 52

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About the Author

Mitch Metcalf
MITCH METCALF has been tracking every US film release of over 500 screens (over 2300 movies and counting) since the storied weekend of May 20, 1994, when Maverick and Beverly Hills Cop 3 inspired countless aficionados to devote their lives to the art of cinema. Prior to that, he studied Politics and Economics at Princeton in order to prepare for his dream of working in television. He has been Head of West Coast Research at ABC, then moved to NBC in 2000 and became Head of Scheduling for 11 years.