Despite three of the four contests resulting in double-digit differences, CBS Sports and Turner Sports scored 4% gain with their Thursday night coverage of Sweet 16 action.
TBS and CBS, which each aired a pair of games, averaged 10.4 million viewers with their NCAA tournament coverage on March 28, 4% more than the corresponding night of the 2012 event. The games, highlighted by Ohio State's LaQuinton Ross sinking a three-pointer with two seconds left to lift the Buckeyes over Arizona, 73-70, averaged a 6.7 U.S. household rating and 12 share, up 3% from a 6.5/12 the prior year.
Through March 28, the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and TruTV averaged 9 million total viewers, an increase of 8% from last year's 8.3 million viewers. That ranks as the highest average for the NCAA Tournament through the Thursday regional semifinals since 10.2 million in 1993.
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To date, the tourney posted a 5.9/12, up 7% from last year's 5.5/12, and the best rating in 15 years, since 1998's 6.1/14.
The rest of the Elite Eight field will be determined Friday night with Louisville-Oregon and Duke-Michigan State on CBS at 7:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., respectively. TBS, meanwhile, will toss it up with Kansas-Michigan at 7:47 p.m. and Florida versus upstart Florida Gulf Coast at 9:57 p.m.
