After three weeks of increased ratings for the NCAA Tournament and the Final Four, the Championship Game gave CBS/Turner a very nice cherry on top of the cake with a big overnight rating. Thanks to a game that was compelling, exciting and went down to the final minutes, Louisville-Michigan garnered a big 14.3 overnight number with a 23 share, up a huge 18% from last year’s 12.1/19 for Kentucky-Kansas. Last night’s numbers were the highest for the NCAA Championship Game since 2010.
Overall, this year’s tournament finished at a 7.2/15 up 9% from 2012’s tournament.
In the local markets, the highest-rated were Louisville with a huge 54.0/70 and Detroit with 33.5/47. Rounding out the top five were Columbus, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
Here’s the CBS/Turner press release.
2013 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FEATURING LOUISVILLE OVER MICHIGAN SCORES 14.3/23 RATING/SHARE IN METERED MARKETS, UP 18%
Overall 2013 NCAA Tournament Across Turner Sports and CBS Sports Delivers 7.2/15 Average Rating, Up 9%
CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive live coverage of the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship game on Monday, April 8, which saw Louisville beat Michigan on CBS, delivered an average overnight household rating/share of 14.3/23, up 18% versus last year’s 12.1/19, according to Nielsen.
The overall 2013 NCAA Tournament average-to-date rating in the metered markets scored a 7.2/15, up 9% from a 6.6/14 in 2012. The 7.2/15 tied with 2011 as the highest overall average for the NCAA Tournament in eight years (7.3/14; 2005).
The 2013 NCAA Championship game rating/share peaked at 17.3/32 rating from 11:30-11:45 PM, ET.
Top five rated metered markets:
- Louisville – 54.0/70
- Detroit – 33.5/47
- Columbus, Ohio – 26.4/40
- Indianapolis – 25.1/39
- Cincinnati – 24.7/38
Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Metered Market data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 04/08/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 04/09/12. 2013, 2012 and 2011 averages based on weighted average of four telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2012 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS/ESPN average of First Round.
We’ll have the final numbers later today.
