CBS Sports' overall coverage of the '98 NCAA men's
tournament earned a 7.3/17 rating, up 2% from last year's
7.2/17. The NCAA tournament was the most watched since '94,
reaching an average of 10.10 million viewers. In '94, an
average of 11.19 viewers were reached. Monday's men's
championship game earned a 17.8/28, and an estimated 48
million watched all or part of the game. The 17.8 was 114%
ahead of the net's Monday season-to-date average from 9:00-
11:00pm ET. CBS won the night in the adult demos 18-49 and
25-54 and among all adult male demo groups (CBS Sports).
DROP IN FINALS RATINGS: In DC, John Carmody reports
that the 17.8/28 for the final was "the lowest prime-time
title game ever," and the lowest since the '72 UCLA-FSU
matchup, which was played in the afternoon and earned a
16.0/35 (WASHINGTON POST, 4/1). The 17.8 was down almost 6%
from last year's 18.9/31 for the AZ-UK final (HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 4/1). CBS VP/Programming Mike Aresco: "With
ratings sliding everywhere, it's good when you're even with
the previous year, and it's very good when you're ahead. As
for the championship game, 17.8 is a very healthy rating,
one that you don't get that often in sports television." In
Atlanta, Prentis Rogers writes, "Nonetheless, this was the
fourth-straight year the championship game failed to crack
the 20.0 mark" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/1). Utah coach Rick
Majerus: "Look at the interest, look at the tournament.
College ball's in good shape" (K.C. STAR, 4/1).
REAX TO CBS'S COVERAGE: In DC, Leonard Shapiro reviews
CBS's coverage of the men's tournament and writes that "for
the most part, CBS rose to the occasion. Anyone could see
that" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/1). In San Antonio, David
Martindale wrote under the header "CBS' Tourney Coverage Was
Solid Display Of Fundamentals." Martindale, on Jim Nantz
and Billy Packer's efforts: "For the most part, their
commentary was useful and understated. ... Thanks to CBS'
efforts, the viewers were all winners" (EXPRESS-NEWS, 3/31).
In San Diego, Fritz Quindt credited CBS's Blackboard-Cam for
its "good replays" (UNION-TRIBUNE, 3/31). In Houston, David
Barron wrote on Monday's game under the header, "CBS'
Coverage Rises To Occasion" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/31).
WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT NUMBERS: ESPN's rating for TN's 18-
point win against LA Tech in the NCAA women's championship
on Sunday "slipped" 8%, to a 3.7, according to USA TODAY's
Rudy Martzke. ESPN's Mike Soltys: "It's a great rating for
a blowout." The title game "followed a 32% slump in
Friday's semifinals" (USA TODAY, 4/1). The two women's
semifinal games averaged a 1.3, and in K.C., Steve Rock
reports that the Final Four "garnered ESPN its worst ratings
since it started exclusive coverage of the women's
tournament three years ago." The average rating for the
entire women's tournament, 1.1, was down from the 1.3 from
both the '96 and '97 tournaments (K.C. STAR, 4/1).
CORRECTION: Total Sports' Finalfour.net site had nine
million visits since March 12. THE DAILY regrets the error.
