CBS and TBS went in opposite directions on night one of the Sweet Sixteen.
The first half of Thursday’s NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen doubleheader earned a combined 11.36 million viewers across CBS and TBS, up 12% from last year (10.10M), but down 6% from 2017 (12.06M). Ratings were not immediately available.
CBS pulled 6.48 million for Gonzaga-Florida State, the top audience of the night, but down 8% from last year (Loyola Chicago-Nevada: 7.06M) and 9% from 2017 (Oregon-Michigan: 7.13M).
TBS picked up the slack with Purdue-Tennessee, which scored 4.88 million — up 61% from last year (Michigan-Texas A&M: 3.04M), but down 1% from 2017 (Gonzaga-West Virginia: 4.94M). The Boilermakers’ overtime win was the eighth-most watched regional semifinal on cable (34 telecasts dating back to 2011).
Thursday’s nightcap had a combined 9.67 million across the two networks, down 12% from last year (10.98M) and down 5% from 2017 (10.2M). It was the least-watched Sweet 16 window since 2016.
CBS drew 6.11 million for Texas Tech’s rout of Michigan, down 26% from Kansas State’s upset of Kentucky last year (8.27M) and down 8% from 2017 (Kansas-Purdue: 6.62M).
TBS could not quite make up the shortfall, with Virginia-Oregon drawing 3.56 million — up 32% from last year (FSU-Gonzaga: 2.71M), but down 1% from 2017 (Xavier-Arizona: 3.59M).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 3.29]
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