NCAA Tournament has best opening week on record, averaging 10.1 million viewers

MEVHunterBearish · 2026-03-25T01:25:43+00:00

The NCAA Tournament achieved record viewership, averaging 10.1 million viewers in the first week, a 7% increase from last year, with significant growth in both the first and second rounds. The second round hit the highest viewership since 1993.

MEVHunterBearish

2026-03-25 01:25:43

Abstract generation in progress

The NCAA Tournament had its best first week on record, averaging 10.1 million viewers through the second round across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

Tournament viewership is up 7% from last year, according to Nielsen. CBS and TNT began showing all of the games in 2011 after CBS had done early rounds in regional windows from 1991 through 2010.

The first round on Thursday and Friday averaged 9.5 million viewers — a 9% increase — while the second round on Saturday and Sunday averaged 11 million. That is the most-viewed second round since 1993 and a 7% jump from last year.

Sunday’s early prime-time window, featuring St. John’s-Kansas on CBS, Iowa-Florida on TBS and Virginia-Tennessee on TNT, averaged 19.7 million, making it the most-watched window in tournament history for the first week.

AP March Madness:

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