CBS Sports' and Turner Sports' second-round coverage of the
2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship posted modest gains over
2011's ratings, according to Nielsen fast nationals.
Coverage on Friday across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV was up 8%
to a 5.4 U.S. household rating and grew 7% to 8 million total viewers.
Second-round coverage on Thursday was slightly lower, delivering a 5.3
household rating, increasing 6% over 2011, and 7.7 million total viewers, up
4%.
The first Thursday and Friday of the tournament was its
most-watched since 1991, the year it expanded to four telecast windows, according to CBS Sports and Turner Sports.
On Friday the ratings peaked during the third telecast
window (6.5 HH rating, up 12%), during which the No. 15-seeded Lehigh
University uoset the No. 2-seeded Duke University.
