Should there be anyone that thought that fans would have problems following the bouncing ball with the new CBS-Turner Sports deal they were wrong. CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV were all winners yesterday as the ratings information states.
CBS Sports’ and Turner Sports’ exclusive second-round coverage of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV on Thursday combined to deliver an overnight household rating/share of5.7/13 up 24% from a 4.6/11 for CBS Sports’ 2010 coverage, according to Nielsen.
The 5.7/13 was the highest rating for the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament in the metered markets since 1991, when the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day.
The first telecast window of the day (12:00 NOON-4:15 PM, ET) combined to earn a 4.4/15, up +42% from a 3.5/10 last year.
The second window of the day (3:00-6:45 PM, ET) delivered a 5.1/13, up +46% from a 3.1/10 last year.
The third telecast window of the day (7:00-9:45 PM, ET) delivered a 6.5/12, up +8% from a 6.0/11 in 2010.
The final window of the day, (9:15 PM-12:30 AM, ET) earned a 6.9/13, up +13% from a 6.1/12 last year.
