From the CBS Sports/Turner Sports consortium, we have Friday’s overnight ratings for the Regional Semifinal action and thanks to a Kansas-Michigan game that went to overtime on TBS, the NCAA Tournament posted the highest overnight ratings for that night since 1990. The ratings resulted in an 8.9 with a 17 share which beat last year’s numbers by a whopping 20%.
CBS/Turner adds that this year’s Tournament is running 6% ahead of last year’s pace averaging a 6.6/14. So overall, going into the Elite Eight today and tomorrow, CBS/Turner is quite happy with how this year’s tourney is shaping up.
And if Duke advances to the Final Four, you can rest assure that CBS/Turner will be extremely happy. There may be simultaneous cartwheels and summersaults done down the CBS Sports and Turner corridors in New York and Atlanta. In fact, executives may even do a cartwheel and summersault competition, that’s how elated they would be. Ok, I may have gone too far with the elation and joy, but you get the idea.
Here’s the press release.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ Exclusive Coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Nets Highest Rated Friday Regional Semi-finals in 23 Years
Friday Regional Semi-final Ratings Up 20% vs. 2012; Tournament to Date Up 6%
Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Regional Semi-finals on Friday, March 29, averaged a metered HH rating/share of 8.9/17, based on Nielsen overnight ratings, to become the highest rated Friday Regional Semi-final in 23 years, when the tournament expanded to its current format. The 8.9/17 is up 20% compared with a 7.4/14 last year.
Exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across the four networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – is averaging a gross rating/share of 6.6/14, based on Nielsen overnight ratings, up 6% compared with a 6.2/13 tournament to date in 2012.
Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Metered Market data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 03/29/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/23/12. 2013 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2010 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS / ESPN average of First Round.
Elite Eight action starts today on CBS with the East Regional Final between soon-to-ex Big East rivals Marquette and Syracuse at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.
