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Elite Eight Matchups Deliver Record TV, Digital Audiences For CBS, Turner Sports

CBS averaged an 8.6 overnight rating for yesterday's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight doubleheader, up 10% from last year. Duke-Gonzaga in the late afternoon window led the way with a 9.9 overnight, marking the best game in that window in 10 years. The game was up 10% compared to Kentucky-Michigan in the same window last year. In the early afternoon window, Michigan State-Louisville drew a 7.6 overnight, marking the best figure in that window in 22 years. MSU-Louisville was up 17% compared to UConn-Michigan State last year. For the complete tourney to date, TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV are averaging a 7.2 overnight, marking the best figure in 25 years and up 11% from the same period last year,

ELITE FORCE: TBS averaged 14.7 million viewers for the Kentucky-Notre Dame Elite Eight matchup on Saturday night, marking the net’s most-viewed program ever. The game peaked at 19.7 million viewers from 10:45-11:00pm ET. The previous record for a TBS telecast was the ’08 Rays-Red Sox ALCS Game 7, which drew 13.4 million viewers on a Sunday night. TBS finished Saturday night averaging 11.7 million viewers for both Elite Eight games (includes Wisconsin-Arizona), up 34% from last year, when the net aired Florida-Dayton and Wisconsin-Arizona. Meanwhile, March Madness Live has drawn a record 71 million live video streams through the Elite Eight, surpassing the total from all of last year's tournament (69.7 million) (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

POINTS OFF THE BENCH: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote with play-by-play announcer Marv Albert "out with a cold," Brian Anderson "took full advantage" by filling in during Kentucky-Notre Dame. It is "great to see the talented Anderson getting primetime opportunities during the tournament." Anderson in an e-mail wrote that he received a call from Turner Sports VP/Talent Relations Tara August on Friday at 9:00am PT informing him that he would have the opportunity to call the game. Anderson: "Saying 'yes' was the easiest part of the day. Pulling off the logistics in a small window of time (four hours) was the challenge." He noted that the Brewers and FS Wisconsin had to allow him "to miss an MLB spring training telecast," and his replacement, Craig Coshun, "had to agree to leave on a moment's notice Friday, fly from Milwaukee to Phoenix and call the Brewers game Saturday afternoon." Anderson wrote of the experience, "My goal was to do right by Marv, be a good teammate to the crew and honor Turner's trust in me to cover that event. I'm relieved it went well. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career" (SI.com, 3/29).

ANNOUNCER ASSESSMENT: In Tampa, Tom Jones writes the broadcast team of Chris Webber and Len Elmore has been a "nice combination" for Turner and CBS. The two had been working with Albert for much of the tournament, but Anderson "filled in admirably" Saturday, and the three "were as good as the game they called, Webber especially." Meanwhile, the lead announcing team of Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill "has been solid, though it still is trying to find just the right chemistry." But Nantz "believes Hill has a chance to be an all-time great college basketball announcer" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/30). In Denver, Dusty Saunders writes Verne Lundquist "continued his expert, low-key, play-by-play work" during the East Regional. He and analyst Jim Spanarkel "made an excellent team" (DENVER POST, 3/30).

BAGS ARE PACKED
: In Raleigh, Barry Jacobs noted former CBS broadcaster Billy Packer does not "miss the role of lead game analyst" for the tournament. Packer said, "I don’t miss it a bit. I actually never really got a big kick out of announcing." He added that the satisfaction "was in preparing ... then leading viewers to fresh insights." Packer: "That was more thrilling to me than announcing the game." Jacobs wrote viewers are "poorer without Packer’s knack for explaining what will happen before it does." Fans "miss his forthrightness, particularly amid a cautious chorus of fired coaches moonlighting between jobs; retired players seeking fresh career paths; and professional kibitzers more comfortable with the NBA" (NEWSOBSERVER.com, 3/29).

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