The overnight ratings are in and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship between Duke and Wisconsin turned out well for CBS. For those who thought the game would not attract big numbers without Kentucky were wrong.
Duke-Wisconsin attracted a big 17.7/27 overnight rating/share which is 33% better than last year’s UConn-Kentucky contest which could only muster a 12.9/21 overnight number. And this is the best overnight rating since 1997’s Arizona-Kentucky championship classic which garnered a 18.0/28.
And impressive local numbers for Milwaukee and Raleigh-Durham which were the top two markets for the game.
The peak for the game was in the 11-11:30 p.m. ET half-hour and the number was a very impressive 20.1/34.
The entire tournament on CBS/Turner Sports averaged a 7.8/16 overnight rating/share and that’s the best overnight dating back to 1993 when the whole tournament was solely on CBS.
Here’s the press release:
2015 NCAA TOURNAMENT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FEATURING DUKE OVER WISCONSIN SCORES HIGHEST OVERNIGHT RATING IN 18 YEARS
Duke vs. Wisconsin on CBS Delivers 17.1/27, Up 33%
2015 NCAA Tournament Across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV Garners Highest Overall Average Rating in 22 Years
NCAA March Madness Live Generates Record-Setting 3.4 Million Live Video Streams for Championship GameCBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of last night’s NCAA Tournament Men’s National Championship between Duke and Wisconsin on CBS scored a 17.1/27 HH rating/share to deliver the highest overnight rating for the NCAA Men’s National Championship in the metered markets in 18 years (1997; 18.0/28, Arizona-Kentucky), based on Nielsen metered market ratings. The broadcast’s 17.1/27 is up 33% over last year (12.9/21; Connecticut-Kentucky) and peaked with a 20.1/34 from 11:00-11:30 PM, ET.
Overall, 2015 NCAA Tournament coverage across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV averaged a 7.8/16 overnight rating/share, up 13% and is the best overnight rating in 22 years (7.9/17 in 1993).
Top five rated metered markets for last night’s game:
- Milwaukee – 42.2/59
- Raleigh-Durham – 36.2/54
- Louisville – 33.5/48
- Columbus – 29.9/44
- Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem – 29.5/43
Additionally, NCAA March Madness Live garnered a record-setting 3.4 million live video streams for last night’s NCAA Championship game and nearly one million hours of live video consumed, also an all-time record. Last night’s live video streams are up 66%, with the live hours of consumption up 69% over last year. NCAA March Madness Live generated 80.7 million live video streams and 17.8 million hours of live video consumption during this year’s tournament, both all-time highs. This year’s live video streams are up 17%, with live hours of consumption netting a 19% increase.
The NCAA Tournament grossed a record 350 million total social impressions across Facebook and Twitter for a 45% increase over 2014.
That is all.
