The CBS/Turner collaboration is crowing about the overall total NCAA Tournament ratings through the Elite 8 which are quite good. Overall, the average has totaled 6.8 with a 14 share which is up 15% from the average from a year ago. But then, the press release states Sunday’s overnight rating received a combined average 8.5/17 share which is pretty good, but when I look at last year when CBS had Michigan State-Tennessee which drew a 7.5 overnight rating and Duke-Baylor which had a stunning 9.9 overnight and you average them together, you get an 8.7 which is higher than this year’s average.
That’s the first time that CBS/Turner has seen a lower rating from the year before. We should have the final ratings sometime later today. Here’s the press release.
CBS SPORTS’ AND TURNER SPORTS’ EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE 2011 NCAA® DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP DELIVERS HIGHEST OVERALL TOURNAMENT RATINGS IN 18 YEARS
CBS Sports’ and Turner Sports’ exclusive live coverage of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTv combined to deliver the best overall tournament-to-date average ratings in the metered markets in 18 years (1993). The overall tournament average-to-date, including the FIRST FOUR®, in the metered markets is a 6.8/14, +15% from a 5.9/13 for CBS Sports’ 2010 coverage according to Nielsen.
Coverage of the regional finals on CBS on Sunday, March 26 delivered an overnight household rating/share of 8.5/17.
And that’s it for now.
