NCAA Hoops Championship Rating Rebounds From Record Low

Virginia's first-ever men's basketball title drew a record number of unique visitors to March Madness LiveGETTY IMAGES

CBS drew a 12.4 overnight rating for Virginia’s 85-77 OT win over Texas Tech in the NCAA men’s basketball championship last night, up 20% from the event’s record-low rating last year on TBS/TNT/truTV. The 12.4 is the lowest mark for a CBS-televised title game since Kentucky-Kansas in ’12. Last night’s game peaked at a 15.0 rating from 11:30-11:45pm ET. Richmond led all markets with a 31.3 local rating, followed by Norfolk (23.4) and the Final Four host market, Minneapolis-St. Paul (23.3). The title game last night also saw a record number of unique visitors to March Madness Live. The digital platform saw a 19% increase in live streams. For the complete tourney, CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV averaged a 7.1 overnight, up 11% from last year’s 6.4 (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).

Download the NCAA Basketball Championship Overnights Trend

WANT MORE STERATORE: In Cleveland, Marc Bona writes CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore had a "quiet first half," but then a "flurry of close calls popped up late in the game." The "biggest call" came with 1:06 remaining in overtime, with the ruling "giving the ball to Virginia after it originally was Texas Tech's." Steratore "lauded the officials on that one." He also "made a point about distortion coming with" zoomed-in replay looks (CLEVELAND.com, 4/9). THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch wrote during Saturday's games, Steratore "made me a smarter fan." His "concise and digestible explanations" on Auburn G Samir Doughty fouling Virginia G Kyle Guy during a 3-point attempt and Virginia G Ty Jerome "appearing to double-dribble before being fouled with about five seconds left were exactly what elevates a sports broadcast." Deitsch: "Sure, it would have been great if CBS broadcasters caught the double dribble in real-time, but I sure as heck did not, and what I care about as a viewer above all is that they provided me with an accurate explanation. ... That's what I got" (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/8).

ZION CAM: The DETROIT NEWS notes during CBS' annual "One Shining Moment" video, there are "at least six closeups" of Duke F Zion Williamson, though "other media outlets counted more." That tops the "appearances in the highlight reel by Michigan State, which beat Duke to advance to the Final Four" (DETROITNEWS.com, 4/9).