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‘March Madness’ Viewership Surges

Apr 1, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Coverage of the “March Madness” NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament saw a surge in viewers over the weekend. CBS Communications Group announced that Turner Sports and CBS Sports coverage of Sunday’s regional finals was up 25% from a year ago, delivering an average overnight household rating/share of 8.0/19 vs. last year’s 6.4/13, according to Nielsen figures.

Sunday’s first telecast window (2:15-4:30 PM, ET), in which Michigan beat Florida to advance to the Final Four, delivered a 6.2/16, up 17% from a 5.3/12 in 2012.

The second telecast window (5:00-7:30 PM, ET), which featured Louisville over Duke, scored a 9.4/21, up 21% from a 7.8/15 in 2012. This game was marked by graphic images of an injury to Louisville player Kevin Ware, as we reported previously. Ware, who broke his leg in the incident, is reportedly recovering after surgery.

For the tournament-to-date, averages in the metered markets are 6.7/14, up 8% from 6.2/13 in 2012.

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