FOR THE WEEK OF 3/13/06 - 3/19/06
HOOPS HEAVEN : Each of CBS’s six NCAA basketball games that aired primarily in prime time March 16-19 was among television’s 50 most-watched shows for the week. The games on two of those nights, however, drew fewer viewers than the network’s usual programming in the comparable time slots. Thursday night’s games averaged 7.1 million households, half of what the network’s regular lineup draws on Thursdays, and Friday’s 6.6 million households were about 15 percent fewer than usual for that night.
WBC POWERS ESPN : The average number of households watching ESPN programming during the week increased 16.6 percent over the same week last year, fueled by coverage of the inaugural World Baseball Classic. ESPN’s 12 total WBC telecasts averaged 1.1 million households, nearly double the network’s usual spring training audience, with the final U.S. game of the tournament, against Mexico on March 16, averaging 1.9 million households.
| Top 10 Network Sports Telecasts |
| Rank | Net. | Program | Date | Rating | Share | Households Watching
(000s) |
| 1 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 2ND ROUND GAMES (5 P.M. ET) | 3/19 | 7.7 | 15 | 8,439 |
| 2 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: WRAP-UP COVERAGE | 3/19 | 7.3 | 13 | 8,001 |
| 3 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 2ND ROUND GAMES (2:25 P.M. ET) | 3/19 | 7.0 | 16 | 7,693 |
| 4 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 2ND ROUND GAMES (6:10 P.M. ET) | 3/18 | 6.8 | 14 | 7,497 |
| 5 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 1ST ROUND GAMES (10:25 P.M. ET) | 3/16 | 6.7 | 13 | 7,351 |
| 6 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 2ND ROUND GAMES (8:20 P.M. ET) | 3/18 | 6.6 | 12 | 7,273 |
| 7 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 1ST ROUND GAMES (7 P.M. ET) | 3/16 | 6.4 | 11 | 7,043 |
| 8 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 1ST ROUND GAMES (9:45 P.M. ET) | 3/17 | 6.4 | 12 | 7,031 |
| 9 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: BRIDGE COVERAGE (6 P.M. ET) | 3/18 | 5.8 | 13 | 6,384 |
| 10 | CBS | NCAA MEN'S BKTBL TOURN.: 1ST ROUND GAMES (7 P.M. ET) | 3/17 | 5.6 | 11 | 6,221 |
| Top 10 Cable Sports Telecasts |
| | | | (RATING) | | |
| Rank | Net | Program | Date | National | Cov. Area | Share | Households Watching
(000s) |
| 1 | ESPN | WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: USA-MEXICO | 3/16 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 3 | 1,868 |
| 2 | FX | NASCAR: BUSCH SERIES NICORETTE 300 | 3/18 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 4 | 1,651 |
| 3 | ESPN | SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND (10:30 A.M. ET) | 3/19 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 3 | 1,171 |
| 4 | ESPN | WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: VENEZUELA-PUERTO RICO | 3/13 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2 | 1,155 |
| 5 | SPIKE | UFC: ULTIMATE KNOCKOUTS | 3/13 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2 | 980 |
| 6 | ESPN | PARDON THE INTERRUPTION | 3/14 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2 | 961 |
| 7 | SPEED | NASCAR: NCS GOLDEN CORRAL 500 QUALIFYING | 3/17 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2 | 691 |
| 8 | ESPN | SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND (10 A.M. ET) | 3/18 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 3 | 936 |
| 9 | FX | NASCAR: NICORETTE 300 PRERACE | 3/18 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 2 | 926 |
| 10 | ESPN | NBA: MIAMI-NEW YORK | 3/19 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 2 | 912 |
Rating — Estimated percent of all TV households of persons tuned to a specific program source. One ratings point equals 1,096,000 homes.
Share — Estimated percent of all households using television at that time which are tuned to a specific program source.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
