NCAA Tournament Opening Week Generates Highest-Ever Overnight Television Ratings

NCAA March Madness Live Nets Record 54 Million Live Video Streams Through Sunday

       The 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship continues to generate record-setting consumption across all multimedia platforms. CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the NCAA Tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV is averaging a 6.7/14 overnight rating/share to register as the highest-ever rating for the event through the first Sunday (since the tournament expanded to its current television format in 1991). This year’s NCAA Tournament-to-date overnight rating (6.7/14) is up 6% compared to a 6.3/14 in 2014, based on Nielsen metered market ratings.

       This weekend’s exclusive third-round coverage on Saturday and Sunday delivered an average 7.3/16 overnight rating/share, the highest rating for the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament in 22 years and a 7% increase over last year’s 6.8/14.

       NCAA March Madness Live has also generated a record-setting 54 million live video streams through Sunday, a 7% increase over last year.  Additionally, NCAA March Madness Live has netted more than 11 million hours of live video consumption through the first week of the tournament, up 8% through the same period a year ago.

       The NCAA Tournament has also grossed a record 108 million total social impressions across Facebook and Twitter through Sunday for a 40% increase over 2014.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Arianna, Live +SD data stream. 3/17/15 - 3/22/15 vs. 3/18/15 - 3/23/15.   2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. Conviva, Adobe Analytics for digital metrics. Facebook Insights and Twitter for social analytics.

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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