The overall tournament average, including the FIRST FOUR(r), in the metered markets is a 7.2/15, +9% from a 6.6/14 for CBS Sports’ 2010 coverage according to Nielsen.
Last night’s national championship game on Monday, April 4, which saw Connecticut defeat Butler, earned an average overnight household rating/share of 13.3/21.
Although down from last year, last night’s game was higher than three-out-of-the-last five Championship games (2009, 2008, 2006).
It was the second year in a row that Butler lost the national championship after last year’s Cinderella team had a heart-stopping loss to powerhouse Duke.
CBS Sports’ and Turner Sports’ exclusive live coverage of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV combined, delivered the best overall tournament average rating in the metered markets since 2005.
(source: CBS)
