Quote:Not only was Saturday night’s Kentucky-Notre Dame game a huge thriller, it was a huge attention-grabber as well. As TBS becomes better-known as a destination for the NCAA Tournament, its numbers have done very well this year.

For Saturday’s Midwest Regional Final which was played in primetime, TBS averaged an impressive 8.4/16 final rating/share for Kentucky-Notre Dame making it the highest-rated college basketball game for a single network in US cable television history. The average audience of 14.7 million also makes it the most-watched college basketball game on cable.

At its peak in the final quarter-hour between 10:45 and 11 pm ET, the game received a very good 11.1/20 rating and a whopping 19.7 million people.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/kentucky...ing-record

The NCAA got what it wanted. A great game and Kentucky's survival.

The Game of the Year So Far.

(03-29-2015 03:36 PM)FargoBison Wrote:  

Quote:Not only was Saturday night’s Kentucky-Notre Dame game a huge thriller, it was a huge attention-grabber as well. As TBS becomes better-known as a destination for the NCAA Tournament, its numbers have done very well this year.

For Saturday’s Midwest Regional Final which was played in primetime, TBS averaged an impressive 8.4/16 final rating/share for Kentucky-Notre Dame making it the highest-rated college basketball game for a single network in US cable television history. The average audience of 14.7 million also makes it the most-watched college basketball game on cable.

At its peak in the final quarter-hour between 10:45 and 11 pm ET, the game received a very good 11.1/20 rating and a whopping 19.7 million people.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/kentucky...ing-record

It also ranks as the highest rated and most-watched telecast of any kind in the history of TBS. While last year’s Kentucky/Wisconsin game remains the top program in the history of Turner Sports, TBS earned a relatively modest 5.7 and 10.4 million for its coverage.

Overall, Saturday’s game earned the fourth-largest non-football sports audience in cable history. The only such telecasts to earn a larger audience were Kentucky/Wisconsin and two of last year’s FIFA World Cup matches on ESPN. Turner Sports has aired six of the top ten.

This just reinforces the notion that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

(03-30-2015 09:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

That 12.8 was for Duke, not Gonzaga.

A Duke - Kentucky final would be the cream-dream for the NCAA. TV ratings would max out. Those are the two highest-drawing, biggest brand names in college basketball.

(03-30-2015 10:08 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

That 12.8 was for Duke, not Gonzaga.

A Duke - Kentucky final would be the cream-dream for the NCAA. TV ratings would max out. Those are the two highest-drawing, biggest brand names in college basketball.

The Western US begs to differ.

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just reinforces the notion that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

Yep.

(03-30-2015 10:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 10:08 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

That 12.8 was for Duke, not Gonzaga.

A Duke - Kentucky final would be the cream-dream for the NCAA. TV ratings would max out. Those are the two highest-drawing, biggest brand names in college basketball.

The Western US begs to differ.

It can keep on begging. Facts are facts.

(03-30-2015 10:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 10:08 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

That 12.8 was for Duke, not Gonzaga.

A Duke - Kentucky final would be the cream-dream for the NCAA. TV ratings would max out. Those are the two highest-drawing, biggest brand names in college basketball.

The Western US begs to differ.

Y'all are ignoring the fact that Gonzaga is NOT a Cinderella anymore. They have established a brand name in college basketball such that us east-coast types KNOW who they are.

They could have held their own yesterday, ratings-wise, had they played opposite Utah.

A final four of Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Gonzaga would have been perfectly acceptable by CBS and its ad partners.

But, all that said...

This year's field was engineered such that:

- any "Cinderella" moments, if any, would be limited to the Rof64, and
- the name "brands" would be around for the Elite 8 and beyond.

To that end, the committee, along with the media rep(s) we never hear about, did their jobs well this year.

(03-30-2015 09:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

Agreed that the rating was mainly for Duke and not Gonzaga, and also, that game was on over-the-air CBS, versus cable for UK-ND, so it's apples to oranges in the ratings game when comparing a 12.8 to a 9.8 OTA vs cable.

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just reinforces the notion that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

I think people love the tournament and everything about it.

(03-30-2015 10:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 10:08 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

That 12.8 was for Duke, not Gonzaga.

A Duke - Kentucky final would be the cream-dream for the NCAA. TV ratings would max out. Those are the two highest-drawing, biggest brand names in college basketball.

The Western US begs to differ.

No one lives there

(03-30-2015 01:13 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 10:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 10:08 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:52 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just renforces the fact that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-rating...lts-18-49/

Well the last 15 minutes got a 12.8 for Duke/ Gonzaga. (much better than Kentucky/ND in the last 15 minutes) So people do like Cinderellas. We'll see what the final rating turns out to be.

That 12.8 was for Duke, not Gonzaga.

A Duke - Kentucky final would be the cream-dream for the NCAA. TV ratings would max out. Those are the two highest-drawing, biggest brand names in college basketball.

The Western US begs to differ.

No one lives there

We have too many here in California. Please feel free to keep badmouthing us, and hopefully some of the people here will believe you and move to the east coast.

(03-30-2015 12:45 PM)FargoBison Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:51 AM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  This just reinforces the notion that people watch the Tournament to see the Bigdogs play, not the Cinderellas.

I think people love the tournament and everything about it.

Yeah, let us have a Final Four of, say -- San Diego State, Murray State, VCU and Oklahoma State.

Some of us would "love the tournament and everything about it", but most casual viewers, CBS, TBS and their ad partners would be all "kill me now" away from the public view.

Cinderella is nice in the Rof64, as long as she doesn't beat a blue-blood/brand name*, but when we get to the Elite 8, we want Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina, Indiana, UConn**, Louisville, etc.




* - if Kansas falls in the Rof64, it's all good :)
** - as long as they have brand name appeal, but it's starting to fade.