CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ Coverage of 2019 NCAA Tournament Continues to Deliver Strong Numbers Across All Platforms

Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship continues to deliver significant audience increases across all platforms. 

Live game coverage across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV is averaging a 6.4/15 HH rating/share in the metered markets, the second-highest rating through the first weekend since 1991, when the NCAA Tournament expanded to its current television format (6.7/14 in 2015). The 6.4/15 HH rating, based on Nielsen metered market delivery, is up 8% over last year (5.9/13).

NCAA March Madness Live has set all-time records in live streams and live hours of consumption for the NCAA Tournament to date, with both seeing increases of more than 25% through the first full week.

Additionally, Sunday’s third game telecast window from 5:15-9:15 PM, ET, highlighted by Duke’s down-to-the-wire victory over UCF, earned an 11.9/24 HH rating/share, up +35% from last year (8.8/18) and ranking as the second-highest rating for that game window in 29 years (12.1/23 in 2017).

Official NCAA March Madness social accounts have produced a 56% lift in engagements vs. last year’s Tournament to date through Sunday (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Linear TV Source:  Nielsen Media Research, metered market data for the 2019 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV through Round 2, compared historical NCAA Tournament through 1991. Digital Source:  Conviva