CBS’ Tournament Overnight Ratings Tracking Ahead Of ‘06

CBS is averaging a 6.2/13 overnight Nielsen rating through the first eight days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, marking a 1.6% increase from a 6.1/12 last year. Sunday’s early-window regional final featuring Florida-Oregon earned a 6.3/15 overnight, down 3.1% from last year, while the late window featuring Georgetown-North Carolina earned an 8.4/13, down 1.2%. On Saturday, the first game, Ohio State-Memphis, drew a 6.4/15, up 6.7%, while the second game, UCLA-Kansas drew a 7.3/15, up 4.3% from last year. Friday’s regional semifinal games averaged a 6.2/12 for the early window, down 4.6%, and a 7.0/13 for the late window, which was up 1.4% from last year. The chart below shows window-to-window comparisons for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds (THE DAILY).

NCAA TOURNAMENT OVERNIGHT RATINGS
	'07		'06
WINDOW	RAT.	SH	RAT.	SH	% +/-
Sweet 16 Thursday (Regional Semis)
Game 1	6.4	11	7.7	13	-16.9%
Game 2	7.6	14	7.3	13	4.1%
Sweet 16 Friday (Regional Semis)
Game 1	6.2	12	6.5	11	-4.6%
Game 2	7.0	13	6.9	13	1.4%
Elite 8 Saturday (Regional Finals)
Ohio State-Memphis	6.4	15	6.0	13	6.7%
UCLA-Kansas	7.3	15	7.0	13	4.3%
Elite 8 Sunday (Regional Finals)
Florida-Oregon	6.3	15	6.5	14	-3.1%
Georgetown-North Carolina	8.4	17	8.5	16	-1.2%
8-DAY OVERNIGHT AVG. RATING	6.2		6.1		1.6%

CBS’ Overnight Ratings Up Slightly Through Eight Days Of Tournament

PRODUCTION QUALITY: In N.Y. Phil Mushnick writes CBS’ “attention to the games ... has been magnificent. Smart, swift switching to other games, well-chosen, quickly shown replays and the only focus, during live play, has been on the big picture. ... These day’s that’s rare” (N.Y. POST, 3/26). But in Denver, Dusty Saunders wrote CBS “didn’t endear itself to NCAA fans by leaving coverage immediately after [Georgetown-North Carolina] was over. Where was the final commentary and interviews with the winners and losers?” (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 3/26). Memphis-Texas A&M on Thursday concluded with a clock controversy, and in Dallas, Barry Horn wrote when a game ends “on what network announcers believe was a bad call, it should be incumbent on the broadcast to clear the air before signing off. Stay awhile. Finish telling the story. It’s the least a network can do for its audience” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/24).

TALENT REVIEWS: After watching UCLA-Kansas on Saturday, the K.C. STAR’s Jeffrey Flanagan wrote CBS’ Dick Enberg “can still bring it up a notch for a big game. With him behind the microphone, it still gives you a sense that a (Oh, my!) significant game is on hand” (K.C. STAR, 3/25). UCLA coach Ben Howland following his team’s win said to Enberg, “It’s truly special to have you here because I grew up watching Bruin basketball with you doing the call and you’re the best ever, Dick” (CBS, 3/25). In Chicago, Teddy Greenstein wrote CBS analyst Billy Packer is the “consummate contrarian.” After Georgetown’s game-winning shot against Vanderbilt on Friday, CBS studio analysts Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis both said the shooter traveled. But Packer on-air said, “I don’t think it was a travel at all. It would have to be a very fine line there” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/25). In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote CBS’ Len Elmore “is one of the best college basketball analysts anywhere on television” without being a “screamer, without an act, without drawing attention to himself, without ever thinking March Madness telecasts are about him instead of the game” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/25).