CBS’ Sean McManus Says He’s Leaving March Madness in Good Hands
As Sean McManus enters the final four weeks of his 27-year tenure at CBS Sports, the outgoing exec is hoping that the second leg of his long farewell tour will be as electrifying as the first. At the same time, the chairman of the Tiffany Network’s sports division doesn’t want the run-up to March Madness to be overshadowed by his imminent departure.
Speaking this afternoon during a Zoom call with media, McManus gently steered questions away from his looming retirement, which will become effective after CBS broadcasts the final round of the 2024 Masters Tournament. “I don’t want to bog down the call with how I’ve approached these last weeks, but it’s been thrilling,” McManus said. “We had a thrilling Super Bowl … and I can’t wait for the tournament, and I can’t wait for the Masters, and at that point I will become a full-time fan of TNT Sports and CBS Sports.”
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McManus’ swan song got off to a roaring start last month, as CBS lucked into what was only the second Super Bowl to be decided in overtime. All told, 123.4 million people watched the Chiefs prevail over the 49ers in Las Vegas, making this the most-watched U.S. broadcast of the modern Nielsen era.
With the NFL in the rearview mirror, McManus is now rooting for a men’s NCAA basketball tournament that keeps millions of fans riveted to their screen of choice over a three-and-a-half-week stretch. “No event takes over this country like this,” McManus said. “It appeals not only to the fan who follows college basketball all year long, but it also appeals to the casual fan and even people who are not necessarily fans of college basketball. They all want to tune in. They don’t want to be left out of the magic that is March Madness.”
While he didn’t shout out his alma mater, McManus must be pleased to know that his final stint at the helm of the tourney will likely coincide with a high seed for the Duke Blue Devils. The biggest ratings driver in college hoops closed out the regular season with a 24-7 record, trailing only their hated rivals from North Carolina in the ACC standings. (In what would prove to be Mike Krzyzewski’s final game, the two teams squared off in the 2022 Final Four in front of a crowd of 18.5 million TBS/TNT viewers.)
A deep run by the Blue Devils would go a long way toward ensuring a stronger ratings turnout, especially if Jon Scheyer’s charges can punch their ticket to the title game on April 8. Over the last 25 years, Duke has appeared in the four most-watched college basketball broadcasts on the books, a run that includes the massive 2015 title tilt against Wisconsin. Duke’s 68-63 win over the Badgers averaged 28.3 million viewers on CBS; by comparison, last year’s San Diego State-UConn blowout was the least-watched final on record, with an average draw of 14.7 million viewers.
This year’s championship game will be simulcast across TNT, TBS and truTV, and while cable doesn’t have the same robust reach as broadcast, the Warner Bros. Discovery networks are among the most widely distributed outlets on the pay-TV dial. (TNT and TBS both reach around 71 million households, while truTV has some 68 million subscribers.)
All told, the two partners split nearly $1 billion in overall in-game ad sales revenue last year, walking away with approximately $968.6 million after make-good units were doled out. The CBS and TNT Sports teams will share more information about this year’s ad sales efforts later this afternoon, but in the meantime, McManus characterized the market as “unbelievably strong,” before adding, “advertisers were thrilled after last year, and demand is remarkable for this year.”
Looking back, McManus said one of his fondest memories of the tournament took place 13 years ago, when the CBS/Turner Sports era officially tipped off. “We were all holding our collective breath to see if this partnership would be successful, and throughout the day the satisfaction just kept growing as we kept hearing more and more positive input,” McManus said. “The calls we were getting into our studio and the reception that we were getting from fans and media alike was universally positive. So, I would say on that first day, going through roughly 1 o’clock in the morning, [we] came to the conclusion that we had created something really, really special—something that had never been done before.”
At the top of the call, Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, shared his thoughts about the changing of the guard at CBS. “I’d just like to acknowledge our own special ‘One Shining Moment’ this year as we are celebrating the legacy of Sean McManus,” Silberwasser said. “Twenty-seven years with CBS Sports, it is such an incredible accomplishment, and there is no finer leader in sports or a finer person, than Sean McManus. I wish him all the best, I can’t wait for what he’s going to do next, and I know that the partnership will continue to be in exceptional hands with David Berson.”
McManus tapped Berson as his successor last September.
As McManus gears up for his final bout of Madness, the CBS crew will have a new look. Ian Eagle has stepped up to serve as the lead announcer, where he’ll look to fill out the big brogues once occupied by Jim Nantz. Eagle fronts a veteran squad that includes tourney mainstays Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson.
For his part, Raftery said the only difference between this year’s tourney and all the others over which he has presided will be a sudden downshift in dining quality. Without Nantz on hand to squeeze the corporate card for all its gastronomical worth, Raftery said he envisions a bit of a hard landing once he starts breaking bread with Eagle. “I’ll be going from five-star restaurants to Five Guys,” Raftery cracked.
Naturally, McManus will be chowing down like royalty if Duke makes it all the way to Phoenix. But before the farewell feasts begin in earnest, he’d like to assure anyone within earshot that the tournament will be in good hands after he makes his exit.
“I’m pleased to say that the legacy of this great event and the importance of this event are being carried on very ably by Luis and his team,” McManus said. “There’s no other partnership like it in all of media, and I think our original goal of making all decisions based on what’s best for viewer has really paid incredible dividends.”
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