2017 NCAA Final Four Delivers Big Ratings Increases

NCAA Final Four Games Deliver Second Highest Rated National Semifinals in 12 Years with Overnight Rating of 10.4/21, Up 37%

NCAA March Madness Live Generates 5.2 Million Streams for Final Four Games, Up 84%

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ coverage of last night’s NCAA Final Four National Semifinals doubleheader – Gonzaga vs. South Carolina and North Carolina vs. Oregon – on CBS scored a 10.4/21 rating/share in the metered markets, the second highest average rating for the National Semifinal games since 2005. The 10.4/21 is the second highest average rating for the National Semifinal games since the beginning of the Turner/CBS partnership.

This year’s doubleheader was up 37% with both games going down to the wire, over last year when the doubleheader was decided by a combined 61 points.

North Carolina-Oregon delivered a 11.5/21 rating, up +42% from 2016 and tied with 2002 as the second highest rating for the late Final Four game in 19 years (1998).  The game peaked with a 13.1/25 from 11:15-11:30 p.m. ET.

In the early game Gonzaga-South Carolina delivered a 9.3/20, up +31% from last year.  The game peaked with a 12.7/25 from 8:15-8:30 p.m.

Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2017 NCAA Tournament to date is averaging a 6.9/14, which is up +11% from last year.  The 6.9/14 ties 2013 as the second highest rating for the NCAA Tournament through the Final Four games since 2011.

NCAA March Madness Live generated 5.2 million live streams for the NCAA Final Four National Semifinals, up +84% over last year.

Additionally, official March Madness social media handles garnered over 63 million engagements during the NCAA Tournament to date, a 79% increase over last year.

Linear TV Source:  Nielsen Media Research, based on metered market Live + SD data stream for the 2017 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, through Final Four round compared historical NCAA Tournament through 1991.  Social source: Conviva.

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