THE DAILY compares final average Nielsen ratings for
'99-2000 NCAA men's regular season basketball telecasts on
partners CBS, ABC and ESPN with those of the '98-99 season.
The ratings were obtained from the networks (THE DAILY).
# OF
NET YEAR TELECASTS RAT/SHR (HHs) %+/-
ABC '99-00 8 1.7/4
'98-99 12 1.7/4 0%
CBS '99-00 21 1.9/5
'98-99 21 2.1/5 -10%
ESPN '99-00 170 0.91/(699,383)
'98-99 175 1.07/(811,225) -15%
ESPN2 '99-00 92 0.36/(244,457)
'98-99 94 0.39/(245,590) -8%
NOTES: ABC's highest rated men's basketball broadcast
was regional action on February 20, which earned a 2.2/6 and
featured Temple Univ.-Univ. of Cincinnati and Univ. of OK-
Univ. of KS....CBS' highest rated men's basketball broadcast
was the March 12 Big Ten Championship, featuring MI State
Univ.-Univ. of IL, which earned a 3.2/8....ESPN's highest
rated men's basketball broadcast was the January 11 Univ. of
KY-Auburn Univ. game, which earned a 1.79 rating (1.379
million HHs). ESPN2's highest rated men's basketball
broadcast was the November 11 Univ. of CT-Univ. of IA game,
which earned a 1.36 rating (910,670 HHs) (THE DAILY).
DEAL OF THE CENTURY? CBS Sports President Sean McManus
acknowledged the network took some "chances" on its 11-year,
$6B deal for NCAA basketball TV rights. But "one chance has
potentially paid off even greater than we thought," as CBS
"expected a certain level of bidding" for the basketball
tournament's marketing rights, but "the bids we have
received so far have blown away any projections that we
had." Also, the "explosion of interest in the Internet
rights have exceeded what we thought they would be." In
Richmond, Jerry Lindquist reports that CBS "is considering
late-night replays" of NCAA postseason games that "could be
shown on the over-the-air network, as well as" on TNN
starting next year (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 3/23).
