March may lack 'madness' but high ratings, boosted by Duke-UCF, show we're still watching
It was a relatively quiet start to the 2019 NCAA men’s tournament with no clear Cinderella — only one double-digit seed is still in it — and every top-3 seed reaching the Sweet 16.
We’re all still watching, though, giving the tournament its second-best ratings since the TV format expanded in 1991.
Early round ratings remain strong
The first and second rounds of the men’s tournament are the second-highest rating since 1991, per a release by the NCAA and Turner Sports. The first round alone was tied with the 2015 tournament for highest since that year.
The 6.4 Nielsen rating is up eight percent over last year, but trails the 6.7 high of 2015.
Most notable is the increase in streaming. The first two rounds set the record for live streams and live hours. It’s an increase of 25 percent over last year for each round, per the release.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ coverage of 2019 NCAA Tournament continues to deliver strong numbers across all platforms
Full release: https://t.co/DC7iePzBBn pic.twitter.com/00XPj5nZii— March Madness TV (@MarchMadnessTV) March 25, 2019
UCF’s near upset of Duke boosted ratings
The University of Central Florida was this close to toppling top-seeded Duke, thereby destroying a majority of brackets. It was dubbed an instant classic and many tuned in in the hopes the powerhouse would fall.
The game helped boost the third game window to an 11.9 rating overall, per the release. It’s up 35 percent from the same window last year, per the NCAA.
Duke typically grabs big ratings whenever the Blue Devils play and that’s especially true this season with freshman sensation Zion Williamson. Duke’s Friday primetime slot in the first round was also a ratings hit.
Tacko Fall, UCF’s 7-foot-6 center, announcing beforehand that he wouldn’t let Williamson dunk on him certainly didn’t hurt.
Ratings rise despite chalky opening weekend
No. 12 Oregon defeated No. 13 UC Irvine to move on to the second weekend of action, but it’s hard to give the Ducks the Cinderella title.
It’s a mild March results-wise with only four one-possession games, but that hasn’t necessarily meant boring games. No. 1 Virginia almost had a repeat of last season, for one, and Ja Morant dazzled for Murray State with a triple-double.
It could just be we’re all finding a way to skim out on work for a few days or escape from the constant breaking news.
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