2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament Scores Highest Breaks Ratings Record

CBS Sports and Turner Sports' exclusive second round coverage of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV on Thursday, March 19, delivered the all-time highest rating for the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament (since the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day in 1991). Thursday's games averaged a 6.6/14 overnight ratings/share, up 10% compared with a 6.0/14 in 2014, according to Nielsen metered market ratings.

Additionally, NCAA March Madness Live delivered a record-setting first Thursday of tournament action with 22 million live video streams registering a 12% increase over last year.

Thursday's television coverage, which made NCAA Tournament history with five games decided by one point, showed ratings growth among the telecast windows.

The first daytime telecast window (12:00-4:30 PM, ET) averaged a 4.6/15 to tie last year as the highest rating for the game window in 25 years.

The second daytime telecast window (2:45-7:30 PM) averaged a 6.7/16 to garner the highest rating for the game window since 1991. The telecast window is up 24% compared with a 5.4/14 in 2014.

The first primetime telecast window (6:45-10:30 PM) averaged a 7.8/13 to register the highest rating for the game window in 25 years. The window surpassed a 7.7/15 in 2014.

The second primetime window (9:15 PM-1:15 AM) averaged a 7.1/13 to deliver the highest rating for the game window in 25 years and a 15% increase over the same telecast window last year (6.2/12).

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Arianna, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/15 vs. 03/20/14. 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.

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