No Bluebloods? No Sweat: CBS Sports and Turner Deliver Highest March Madness Ratings in DECADES

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images.

Despite the lack of perennial blueblood programs like Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke, the Sweet 16 weekend slate of NCAA tournament games enjoyed a shockingly high viewership according to a press release sent by CBS Sports and Turner Sports, who have jointly aired all eight games.

The CBS Sports and Turner Sports jointly-affiliated Twitter account @MarchMadnessTV revealed that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Regional Semifinals produced its “best performance in 28 years, averaging 12.9 million viewers across TBS and CBS.” This represents an increase of 12 percent in viewers compared to 2019.

The interest in college hoops has not just been limited to television viewership. According to the same release, “Official March Madness social handles remain on pace for a record-breaking NCAA Men’s Tournament” as well, adding that engagements are up 31 percent overall from 2019 levels through the Sweet 16.

If there has been one accepted truth in sports broadcasting over the past decade or so is the steady and consistent decline of traditional viewership. Ratings for NBA playoffs, the NFL football season, and MLB have all dipped significantly over the past few years, though much of that is explained by a variety of delivery or carriage. Major sports are still wildly popular, and no less lucrative than they have been.

The 2020-21 men’s college basketball season has been a strange one compared to most as programs that are traditionally synonymous with post-season success did not even qualify or get invited to the “big dance.” Neither Duke nor Kentucky had successful enough seasons for inclusion, and down years for other perennial favorites such as North Carolina, Kansas, and UConn Villanova to name a few, led to early exits.

Perhaps even more surprising about these high numbers is the lack of buzzer-beaters that puts the “madness” in March Madness. The 2021 tournament may go down as featuring the most blow-outs or games decided early in the second half.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!