Turner Sports & CBS Sports' Coverage of NCAA Tournament Generates 29 Million Live Video Starts

By: Caryn Robbins Mar. 20, 2017

CBS Sports and Turner Sports' coverage of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship - airing across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV - averaged a 5.9/14 HH rating/share to deliver the third highest-rated first Thursday since 1991, when the tournament expanded to its current television format. The 5.9/14 HH rating, based on Nielsen metered market delivery, is up +5% over last year (5.6/13).

Additionally, NCAA March Madness Live garnered 29 million live video starts over the first full Thursday, up 19% over last year. Thursday's first day also set a new all-time record for concurrent streams at 2:15 p.m., coinciding with the conclusion of the Notre Dame-Princeton game.

The combined networks' coverage also delivered increases in three game telecast windows:

4.4/14 HH rating/share from 12:00-4:15 p.m. ET, up +5% and tied with 2011 for the third highest rating in the window since 1991

5.7/15 HH rating/share from 2:45-7:00 p.m., up +16% and the second highest-rated delivery in the window since 1991

7.2/13 HH rating/share from 6:45-10:00 p.m., up +9%

Linear TV Source: Nielsen Media Research, metered market data for the 2017 NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, Day 1, Thursday, compared historical NCAA Tournament through 1991. Digital Source: Conviva