Tournament Coverage to Date across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV Is Second Most-Watched in 23 Years; NCAA March Madness Live Delivering All-Time Record 93.5 Million Live Video Streams

Last Night’s National Semifinals Games Average 16.8 million Viewers, Up +44%

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ coverage of the 2017 NCAA Tournament is the second most watched in 23 years. To date, the NCAA Tournament is averaging 10.4 million viewers, up +14% from last year and the second-highest viewer average through the Final Four since 1994. Additionally, NCAA March Madness Live has generated an all-time best 93.5 million live video streams through the Final Four.

Last night’s Final Four games delivered audience increases, averaging 16.8 million viewers, making it the second most-watched Final Four in 19 years (since 1998; trailing only 2015). Viewership of the doubleheader – Gonzaga vs. South Carolina and North Carolina vs. Oregon – which aired on CBS was up +44% over last year. Last year’s games were decided by a combined 61 points.

North Carolina-Oregon was watched by an average of 18.8 million viewers, up +46% from 2016, and the second highest viewer average for the late Final Four game in 19 years. The game peaked with 20.5 million viewers from 11:00-11:15 PM, ET.

In the early game, Gonzaga-South Carolina delivered an average of 14.7 million viewers, up +40% from a year ago, making it the second most-watched Final Four game in that window since 2005. The game peaked with 20.6 million viewers from 8:15-8:27 PM.

TV Source: Nielsen Media Research, Fast Nationals based on Live + SD data stream for the 2017 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, through Final Four round compared historical NCAA Tournament through 1991. Digital: Conviva.

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Media Contacts:

Nate Smeltz, Turner Sports, at (404) 827-4786 or nate.smeltz@turner.com
Dan Sabreen, CBS Sports, at (212) 975-5936 or dsabreen@cbs.com