The opening number is downright staggering. If the game was competitive whatsoever, you're looking at potential ratings records. It's too bad we couldn't hang Saturday...
Kansas-UConn on CBS went from 8-10 p.m. ET while the Golden State-San Antonio game on ABC lasted between 8:30-11 p.m. ET.
You can see the half-hour breakdown where the games went to head-to-head how CBS beat ABC.
8:00 p.m.
ABC – NBA Countdown Viewers: 2.67 million
CBS – NCAA Basketball Tournament Viewers: 7.08 million
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8:30 p.m.
ABC – NBA Basketball Viewers: 3.25 million
CBS – NCAA Basketball Tournament Viewers: 6.06 million
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9:00 p.m.
ABC – NBA Basketball Viewers: 4.03 million
CBS – NCAA Basketball Tournament Viewers: 5.08 million
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9:30 p.m.
ABC – NBA Basketball Viewers: 4.03 million
CBS – NCAA Basketball Tournament Viewers: 5.58 million
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10:00 p.m.
ABC – NBA Basketball Viewers: 4.56 million
CBS – 48 Hours (R) Viewers: 5.31 million
You can see that after Kansas-UConn was over, ABC’s viewership jumped from 4.03 million in the 9:30 half-hour to 4.56 million at 10, but it still wasn’t enough to beat a 48 Hours repeat on CBS.
The NCAA Tournament and NBA rarely go head-to-head, but it shows when the tournament is compelling, viewers will watch.
