March Madness has best TV start since 2011, viewership up 5%Associated PressMultiple AuthorsMar 23, 2026, 12:15 PM ET
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NEW YORK — The NCAA tournament is off to its best start since CBS and TNT began showing all of the games in 2011.
The tournament averaged 9.8 million for the first three days (the First Four on Tuesday and Wednesday along with Thursday’s first round) according to Nielsen, a 5% increase from last year.
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Thursday’s opening-round games across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV averaged 9.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen, a 6% increase over last year.
The prime-time games — which included VCU’s 82-78 win over North Carolina — averaged 12.5 million, making it the most watched first-round window in NCAA tournament history.
Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s First Four games totaled 7.5 million on truTV. Miami (Ohio)’s 89-79 victory over SMU on Wednesday averaged 2.8 million, making it the most watched First Four game that has taken place in Dayton, Ohio. The 2021 First Four took place throughout Indiana because of COVID-19, and the games were all on a Thursday.
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