CBS and Turner Sports averaged a 6.4 fast-national Nielsen rating and 10.2 million viewers for their coverage of the ’11 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, marking the highest-rated and most-viewed tournament since a 6.9 rating and 10.6 million viewers on CBS in ’05. This year’s figures are both up 7% from a 6.0 rating and 9.5 million viewers for CBS’ exclusive coverage last year. The overall tournament on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV also delivered year-over-year growth in all key adult and male demos. CBS also earned an 11.7 fast-national rating and 20.1 million viewers for UConn’s victory over Butler in Monday’s National Championship, down 18% and 16%, respectively, from a 14.2 rating and 23.9 million viewers for the Duke-Butler matchup last year (THE DAILY). MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Mike Reynolds noted CBS and Turner's coverage "posted up some solid gains over the 2010 tournament" in key demos. The tourney averaged 2.33 million viewers in adults 18-34, up 21% from 1.93 million, and averaged 4.69 million viewers in adults 18-49, up 12% from 4.21 million. It also averaged 4.84 million viewers in adults 25-54, up 7% from 4.51 million. It was also up significantly in the male 18-34, 28-49 and 25-54 demos (MULTICHANNEL.com, 4/5).
HAPPY WITH THE FIRST GO-ROUND: CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said the first year of the net's joint broadcast agreement with Turner was "terrific." McManus: "I would have liked a more competitive and better-played game for the championship, but you play the hand you're dealt, and I thought the studio and game announcers were terrific." Turner President of Sales, Distribution & Sports David Levy said the initial year was a success "by every measure." Levy: "We exceeded all of our expectations in our initial model. It's a terrific start for our partnership. We're bullish on the digital aspects at Turner Sports and on the entire three-screen model -- television, broadband and wireless" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/6). In Jacksonville, Hays Carlyon includes CBS in his "winners" of the tournament. Carlyon: "The network wisely spread out its early-round coverage to TBS, TNT and truTV and staggered start times. Fans enjoyed the change and bumped up ratings" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 4/5).
STILL IN DEMAND: March Madness On Demand ended its '11 version with 13.7 million hours of consumed video, up 17% from last year's 11.7 million hours. Under Turner Sports management for the first time, this year's MMOD featured a broad increase in mobile availability through new free iPhone and iPad applications. But the growth curve for MMOD, one of the key live events in online sports, continues to flatten out as that 17% jump in video consumption was less than half the 36% increase in that metric seen from '09 to '10. This year's NCAA men's basketball tournament was the first to feature every game shown nationally on TV. MMOD also garnered 30% of all its video streams this year from the iPhone and iPad apps (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
