March Madness Sees Highest Ratings Since 2011
The NCAA tournament has recorded its best ratings start since 2011. Viewership is up 5% from last year, marking a strong opening for March Madness.
NEW YORK -- The NCAA tournament has kicked off with its highest ratings since CBS and TNT began broadcasting all the games in 2011.
According to Nielsen, the tournament averaged 9.8 million viewers over the first three days, which includes the First Four games on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday's opening round. This represents a 5% increase compared to last year.
On Thursday, the initial round of games aired across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV also averaged 9.8 million viewers, reflecting a 6% rise from the previous year.
The prime-time matchups, including VCU's 82-78 victory over North Carolina, drew an average of 12.5 million viewers, setting a record for the most-watched first-round window in NCAA tournament history.
The First Four games held on Tuesday and Wednesday achieved a total viewership of 7.5 million on truTV. Notably, Miami (Ohio)'s 89-79 win over SMU on Wednesday averaged 2.8 million viewers, making it the highest-rated First Four game ever held in Dayton, Ohio. The 2021 First Four was hosted in Indiana due to COVID-19 restrictions, and all games took place on a Thursday.