CBS And Turner’s 2018 NCAA Final Four Coverage Delivers Average Minute Audience of 13.4 Million Viewers, Up 15%

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2018 NCAA Final Four National Semifinals – generated an average minute audience of 13.4 million viewers across TBS, TNT, truTV and NCAA March Madness Live, a 15% increase over televised-only coverage of the Final Four in 2016, the last time the games aired across Turner networks.

Additional highlights include:

The game between Loyola-Chicago and Michigan delivered an average minute audience across all platforms of 13,445,000 viewers, up 29% over the comparable television only telecast in 2016. The telecast, airing across TBS, TNT and truTV, peaked with 18 million viewers from 8-8:15 p.m. ET.

The other game, Villanova vs. Kansas, posted an average minute audience across all platforms of 13,309,000 viewers, up 3% vs. the comparable television only game telecast in 2016. Villanova jumped out to a 22-4 lead in the first seven minutes of the game and led by approximately 20 points throughout the entire game. The telecast – airing across TBS, TNT and truTV – peaked with an average of 14.6 million viewers during the first half (9:30-9:45 p.m.) and dropped to an average of 9.6 million in the final quarter hour at 11 p.m.

Final Four coverage across NCAA March Madness Live saw a 28% increase in live streams (up 28%) and a increase of 14% for hours consumed compared to the same coverage two years ago, the last time the Final Four aired on Turner networks.