Louisville became probably the biggest national story of the tournament, while Michigan was likely the biggest brand name left in the Final Four. That they combined for great ratings is no surprise.
2013 NCAA Tournament ratings: National Championship game up double digits
The game was up big from last year’s Kentucky-Kansas tilt.
CBS drew a 14.3/23 overnight for the NCAA basketball Championship Game between the Cardinals and Wolverines, up 18 percent from 2012’s title game between Kentucky and Kansas (12.1/19), according to a network press release. The game drew 23.4 million viewers, up 12 percent from 2012 (20.9 million).
The number one market in terms of watching the game was, not surprisingly, Louisville. The market drew an astounding, massive 54.0/70 rating for the game. That means that seven of every 10 televisions in Louisville were tuned into the National Championship, and more than half of the viewers, period. Detroit (33.5/47), Columbus (26.4/40), Indianapolis (25.1/39) and Cincinnati (24.7/38) followed.
2013 NCAA Tournament overnights finished up at a 7.2/15 average between CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV. That was up nine percent from the 6.6/14, and even with 2011. The tourney averaged 10.7 million viewers throughout March and April, up 11 percent from 2012, and marking the most-watched NCAA Tourney since 1994.
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