March Madness delivered record-breaking television audiences during its opening week, with an average of 10.1 million viewers tuning in across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV through the second round of competition.
Nielsen data shows tournament viewership climbed 7% compared to the previous year. The current broadcast format began in 2011 when CBS partnered with TNT to air all tournament games, replacing the previous regional coverage system that CBS used from 1991 to 2010.
Thursday and Friday’s opening round games drew 9.5 million viewers on average, representing a 9% boost from last year. Weekend action during the second round attracted 11 million viewers on Saturday and Sunday combined. The second round numbers mark the highest audience levels since 1993 and reflect a 7% year-over-year increase.
Sunday evening’s prime-time slate proved particularly popular with viewers, as simultaneous games featuring St. John’s against Kansas on CBS, Iowa versus Florida on TBS, and Virginia taking on Tennessee on TNT collectively reached 19.7 million viewers. This three-game window set a new tournament record for first-week viewership.
