CBS Hopes '04 Tournament Ratings Rebound From '03

Coming off a year in which the war in Iraq led to a 24% decrease in overall viewership for the NCAA men's basketball tournament, CBS got off to a decent start yesterday, as the 5.0/9 overnight Nielsen rating for the selection show was even with '03. Meanwhile, the network is taking no chances after being caught off guard during the Super Bowl halftime show, stating that it will use a 10-second delay for the Final Four. Also, CBS brass remain optimistic that the network will be profitable with its 11-year, $6B deal to televise the tournament.

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