Men's NCAA Tournament Hits 10.3M Avg Viewers, Best Since 1993

The men's NCAA tournament averaged 10.3 million viewers through the Elite Eight, according to Nielsen. That marks the tournament's best audience since 1993 and a 9% increase over last year. UConn’s 73-72 win over Duke in the East Region final drew 13.4 million on CBS, while the peak audience of 18.9 million came when Braylon Mullins hit a last‑second 3‑pointer. Friday’s early window featuring Duke‑St. John’s on CBS and Michigan‑Alabama on TBS/truTV averaged 14.2 million, the most‑watched Friday regional early window since 1992.

The Final Four and title game will air on TBS, TNT and truTV. The women’s tournament on ESPN’s networks and ABC averaged 789,000 viewers through Saturday’s Sweet 16, a 1% drop from last year. Ratings for Sunday and Monday regional finals are expected Wednesday.