Ratings Roundup: Before Sweet 16 Tips Off, 2019 March Madness Sits in Second as Most-Watched Tourney in 29 Years
27/03/2019
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 - 9:00 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Ratings roundup is a rundown of rating news from the past week and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, the NCAA March Madness opening rounds smash live stream numbers and become the second most-watched tournament in 29 years, NCAA Selection Show sees its highest ratings in five years, the ACC tournament gives ESPN the two most-watched games in the history of the network's Champ Week coverage, and ESPN's regular season slate increases 15% from last year.
2019 March Madness is the Second Craziest Since 1991
Turner Sports and CBS Sports' coverage of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship continues to deliver significant audience increases across all platforms.
Live game coverage across TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV is averaging a 6.4/15 HH rating/share in the metered markets, the second-highest rating through the first weekend since 1991, when the NCAA Tournament expanded to its current television format (6.7/14 in 2015). The 6.4/15 HH rating, based on Nielsen metered market delivery, is up 8% over last year (5.9/13).
NCAA March Madness Live has set all-time records in live streams and live hours of consumption for the NCAA Tournament to date, with both seeing increases of more than 25% through the first full week.
Additionally, Sunday's third game telecast window from 5:15-9:15 PM, ET, highlighted by Duke's down-to-the-wire victory over UCF, earned an 11.9/24 HH rating/share, up +35% from last year (8.8/18) and ranking as the second-highest rating for that game window in 29 years (12.1/23 in 2017).
Official NCAA March Madness social accounts have produced a 56% lift in engagements vs. last year's Tournament to date through Sunday (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
Selection Show's Best Performance Since 2014 Edition
The 2019 NCAA March Madness Selection Show on CBS, produced in partnership between CBS Sports and Turner Sports, earned a 4.0 rating, the highest in five years (4.2 in 2014).
The Selection Show peaked at a 4.3 from 6:30-6:45 p.m. ET. The top 5 markets include Louisville (16.4), Columbus (11.8), Indianapolis (11.3), Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem (10.3), and Kansas City & Cincinnati (9.8).
Duke Semifinal, Championship Do Damage During ACC Tournament
This year's New York Life ACC Men's Basketball Tournament set new records for ESPN, as the Duke-North Carolina semifinal and the Duke-Florida State championship game are now the most-viewed Champ Week games in ESPN history.
The season's third meeting between Duke and North Carolina averaged 4,150,000 viewers, which in addition to setting a new viewership record for ESPN, was the most-viewed Champ Week game across networks this season. The previous record for most-viewed game was the 1998 ACC championship game, which averaged 4,011,000 viewers. The championship game between Florida State-Duke matchup averaged 4,063,000 viewers, the second most-viewed Champ Week game in ESPN history, and second most-watched Champ Week game of the season across all networks.
The second semifinal, which saw Florida State facing Virginia, averaged 1,618,000 viewers, up 76% in comparison to last year's game on ESPN2.
The three games averaged 3,288,000 viewers, up 17% from 2017, when all three matchups were played on ESPN.
Additional highlights
Tennessee's win over Kentucky averaged 3,285,000 viewers, the most-viewed SEC semifinal on ESPN ever, and up 78% from last year's second SEC semifinal game
Women's games during Champ Week averaged 171,000 viewers, up 5% year-over-year
Across ESPN and ESPN2, Champ Week averaged 883,000 viewers, up 10% year over year. It also ranks as the fourth largest audience for Champ Week since 1998. ESPN aired seven of the top ten games during Champ Week.
ESPN Closes Out Men's, Women's College Basketball Regular Season
ESPN's college basketball slate was up significantly year-over-year, with men's basketball up 15%, averaging 1,199,000 viewers per game. Across all networks, men's basketball finished up 6%, and women's basketball was up 5%.
ESPN's franchise programming led the way for the network, with its Sonic Blockbuster (2,803,000 viewers) and Saturday Primetime Presented by H&R Block (2,776,000 viewers) games being up 64% and 42%, respectively. Thursday Showcase contests (women's), which featured marquee matchups throughout the season, averaged 549,000 viewers, up 28%.
On the men's side, ESPN aired the top six games across all networks, including the final regular season matchup between Duke-North Carolina, which averaged 4,162,000 viewers.
The six most-watched games include:
Feb. 20, 2019
North Carolina at Duke
ESPN
4,472,000
Mar 9, 2019
Duke at North Carolina
ESPN
4,162,000
Jan. 19, 2019
Virginia at Duke
ESPN
3,837,000
Feb. 9, 2019
Duke at Virginia
ESPN
3,378,000
Feb. 16, 2019
Tennessee at Kentucky
ESPN
3,057,000
Feb. 23, 2019
Duke at Syracuse
ESPN
3,026,000
Duke generated significant interest on ESPN this season, with Duke games averaging 2,143,000 viewers, up 30% year over year. Even factoring out Duke's increase, college basketball on ESPN is still up 6%.
ESPN networks aired the top 105 men's games on cable, with ESPN networks averaging 410,000 viewers across all games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. College GameDay Covered by State Farm on ESPN, and simulcast on ESPNU, averaged 638,000 viewers this season.
For the 17th consecutive year, Louisville is the number one market for men's college basketball. Knoxville ranks second (2.9 rating), followed by Raleigh-Durham (2.8). Round
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/03/26/ratings-roundup-before-sweet-16... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
Lighting a Day-Interior Caf With LEE Filters
In this video, cinematographer Simon Rowling welcomes viewers behind the scenes as he lights a daytime-interior scene inside a coffee shop. Shooting on Panavisi...
06/05/2024
Technology for the Next Generation of Special Forces
L3Harris is well positioned to support the complex and multifaceted nature of special operations forces in all domains through our agile and responsive technolo...
06/05/2024
Canada Plans May 8 Public Alert System Test
OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...
06/05/2024
Survey: Pay TV Penetration Falls to 40% in U.S. Hispanic Homes
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...
06/05/2024
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th Brie Clayton May 6, 2024 0 Comments New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...
06/05/2024
NBC Orders More Night Court'
NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....
06/05/2024
ABC Shares Summer Premiere Dates
ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...
06/05/2024
Holly Springs Salamanders Home Opener Less Than Three Weeks Away, Tickets on Sale Now
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
Watch the Trailer for 'A Part of You' - Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ryding and Zara Larsson in Leading Roles
Back to All News Watch the Trailer for A Part of You - Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ry...
06/05/2024
FOR-A to focus on Ultra HD at Broadcast Asia
Leadership in 12G-SDI for low impact migration to 4k production...
06/05/2024
STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK
Press release - 6 May 2024 07:31 STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Download as PDF Paris, 06 May 2024 ...
06/05/2024
Explore Broadcast Pix's Latest Innovations at InfoComm 2024
Tyngsboro, Mass. - May 6, 2024 - Join us at InfoComm 2024 to experience the latest advancements in live production technology. From June 12-14, 2024, at the Las...
06/05/2024
2024-05-06
To champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, ava...
06/05/2024
Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'
Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'Talented actress Matseliso Mohale has joined SABC2's soapie Muvhango' as Vhangani's lover and a c...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury Mthetho
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury MthethoDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke...
06/05/2024
NVIDIA and Alphabet's Intrinsic Put Next-Gen Robotics Within Grasp
Intrinsic, a software and AI robotics company at Alphabet, has integrated NVIDIA AI and Isaac platform technologies to advance the complex field of autonomous r...
06/05/2024
A Mighty Meeting: Generative AI, Cybersecurity Connect at RSA
Cybersecurity experts at the RSA Conference this week will be on the hunt for ways to secure their operations in the era of generative AI. They'll find man...
06/05/2024
SES to acquire Intelsat: Investor Relations Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders? This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...
05/05/2024
Singer Becky G To Close Out TelevisaUnivision's Upfront
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Publicis Won't Use Nielsen's Big Data as Currency in This Upfront
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
Glenn Kirschner, NBC News Legal Analyst, Rips Media Coverage of Trump Trial
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy Marathons The Beverly Hillbillies' May 4-5
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
How NBC Sports Plans to Cover Kentucky Derby
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
05/05/2024
Netflix Announces New Comedy Series 'Roosters', Starring Jeroen Spitzenberger, Waldemar Torenstra, Andr Dongelmans and Benja Bruijning
Back to All News Netflix Announces New Comedy Series Roosters, Starring Jeroen ...
05/05/2024
Showdown Alert: Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura' Drops Electrifying Trailer for June 6 Debut
Back to All News Showdown Alert: Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura' Drops Electr...
04/05/2024
Nielsen: Asian American Audiences Spend as Much Time on Mobile as TV
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
Comcast Makes $1M Commitment to Military-Serving Nonprofits
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
FCC Unveils Agenda for May Open Meeting
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
Enhancements Made to Key 5G Convergence Standards
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton May 3, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions. ...
04/05/2024
New faces and new storylines': What to expect on Izingane ZeS'thembu' S2
New faces and new storylines': What to expect on Izingane ZeS'thembu...
03/05/2024
Sudan: New WhatsApp Course Equips Journalists to Report on Conflict Related Sexual Violence
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
Slow Explores an Unusual Relationship With Sincere Romance
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
Be Honest With Your Art': Danny Ocean Reflects on Sudden Stardom and His Deeply Personal New Album
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify and ELLE Collaborate in Celebration of Emerging Women in Music
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
La Msica Mexicana no es solamente un fenmeno en Mxico y Estados Unidos, tambin en toda Amrica Latina
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
Msica Mexicana Isn't Just a Phenomenon in Mexico and the U.S.-It's Taking Over Latin America.
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
Fubo Loses Subs in Q1 But Exceeds Guidance and Reduces Losses
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award Brie Clayton May 3, 2024 0 Comments Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear Brie Clayton May 3, 2024 0 Comments By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
The Business of TV News: Shannon Bream Singles Out Key Issue in 2024 Election
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
ABC News Anchor Martha Raddatz Says Local News Is Everything'
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Paramount Stock Jumps on Report of $26 Billion Bid From Sony Pictures and Apollo Global
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS Shares 2024-2025 Schedule
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Fubo Continues To Reduce Red Ink Despite Losing 110,000 Subs in Q1
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....