You have probably burned your bracket at this point of the NCAA tournament. But television executives are thrilled after receiving the latest ratings report on NCAA tournament coverage.
The 2017 tournament is far from over, but it is already the second-most watched in 24 years, averaging 9.5 million viewers. That is a 10% jump over the 2016 tournament. Ratings-wise, it is tied as the second-highest-rated tourney since 1991, averaging a 6.5 rating. That is an 8% increase over last year’s tournament.
Coverage from Thursday night’s regional semifinals on CBS and TBS, which saw Kansas, Gonzaga, Xavier and Oregon advance, averaged 11.2 million viewers. That makes it the third-most-watched coverage for regional semis since 1993 and was an increase of 17% from last year. The regional semis averaged a 7.6 overnight rating, a 9% jump from last year.
It's not just viewership and ratings that are up. Through Thursday’s games, NCAA March Madness Live has 75 million live video streams, a record as well as an increase of 26% from 2016. NCAA March Madness Live also saw 5.6 million video streams for the regional semifinals, a whopping 67% jump from last year.
And all of those March Madness hashtags and other social media handles? They are up 24% from 2016, with 32 million engagements.
Turner Sports president Lenny Daniels likes what he sees.
“The NCAA tournament is a special event that captivates the nation for an entire month each and every year,” Daniels said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. "We’re seeing audience increases across all platforms this year, whether it is fans watching on television across TBS, CBS, TNT or truTV, consuming live streaming coverage on NCAA March Madness Live or sharing in the experience across social platforms.
"It’s that collective audience and high levels of engagement with our March Madness content that exemplifies the impact and success of this event.”
