March
Madness

Welcome to THE REPLAYTM, our monthly deep-dive into the performance and analytics of major sports tentpoles. With big data methodologies, our insights take time to craft, offering a fresh look in hindsight.

Throughout March Madness 2025, we examined how fans watched and where their loyalties shifted. From out-of-home spikes to changing regional dynamics, behavior evolved each round. Using advanced analytics, we identified co-viewing trends, localized hotspots, and variances in fan engagement–illuminating key audience insights leveraging VideoAmp data.

Ratings Recap

Thursday & Friday led OOH viewership with 22 telecasts aired on both nights including simulcasts, while Saturday & Sunday saw more in-home viewing with 16 & 10 telecasts, respectively.

Thursday 55,620 22,683 Total 78,305

Friday 54,216 25,655 Total 79,870

Saturday 81,602 19,794 Total 101,397

Sunday 58,943 14,527 Total 73,473

Live + SD AA (000)
Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

TNT led in OOH share (47%) but had the lowest total audience, airing just 12 telecasts vs. CBS’s 24 telecasts.

CBS conversely saw the lowest OOH viewership percentage (15%) but saw over 3x the In-home views compared to TNT.

Live + SD AA (000)
Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

Grand Total

3.6M

In-Home Average Total Persons (000) 

1.1M

Out-Of-Home Average Total Persons (000)

4.8M

Overall Average Total Persons (000)

2.00

Average of Live SD RTG Households

75

# of TCs

Our
Regional
View

To compare viewership fairly, we divided the U.S. into four, Census-based regions based on telecast locations, allowing ratings analysis that accounts for differences in Household universe estimates.

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

 

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington

Delaware, Washington DC, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas

  • First Round
  • Second Round
  • Sweet 16
  • Elite 8
  • Final Four
  • Championship

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Second Round.

First Round

  • 2,155 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,283 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 3,439 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.23 Average of Live SD RTG Households

  • 32 # of TCs

Teams per region

  • Midwest: 15
  • South: 32
  • Northeast: 5
  • West: 12
  • Grand Total: 64

On average, First Round telecasts saw the largest percentage of OOH viewers, at 44%, with 1.3 Million average OOH Viewers, only bested by the Final Four’s 1.5 Million OOH viewers.

First Round telecasts also saw 34% more OOH Viewership than the National Championship telecast’s average, accounting for 1.3M average viewers, with bars and restaurants- great places to watch multiple telecasts simultaneously; making them crucial for Reach.

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Second Round.

First Round viewership trends by region

Seven Rounds, Four Regions

Hover over regions to see underlying state definitions.

First Round highlights

  • During 1Q25, the Southern region was estimated at over 20 million more households than the Western region (46.7M vs. 26.1M). Despite the difference in size, and the West not having a team in the Championship, both regions recorded the highest ratings growth from the First Four to the National Championship, with increases of 1009% and 1020%, respectively.

  • The Southern region earned the highest household rating for the National Championship telecast, with a 11.31 rating, perhaps driven by it accounting for about half of all teams represented throughout the tournament– also coming in +46% higher than the lowest rated region – the West (11.31 vs. 7.73 Household Rating).

  • During the first round, the Midwestern region accounted for the most teams represented in the tournament, at 15 teams, and averaged a 1.77 household rating- nearly double the household rating of the Western region (95%)- despite both regions estimated to have a similar number of total households (Midwest – 26.1M vs. West – 26.6M)

  • The Midwestern region also consistently earned the highest average household rating through all rounds aside from the National Championship telecast.

  • The Northeastern Region was the least visible in the tournament, lasting only 7 telecasts through the First and Second rounds, and ranked 3rd in overall tournament viewership, averaging a 1.86 Household Rating.

  • However, the Western region saw the lowest Household average rating (1.54, despite having 23 teams play throughout in the tournament).

Alabama State vs. Auburn

🏅 Winner: Auburn

  • 3,827 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,058 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 22% % OOH of Total

  • 4,891 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.34 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Creighton vs. Louisville

🏅 Winner: Creighton

  • 4,756 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,508 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 24% % OOH of Total

  • 6,264 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.93 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

UC San Diego vs. Michigan

🏅 Winner: Michigan

  • 1,760 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 837 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 32% % OOH of Total

  • 2,597 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.96 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Yale vs. Texas A&M

🏅 Winner: Texas A&M

  • 1,366 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,398 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 102% % OOH of Total

  • 2,764 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.71 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

North Carolina vs. Ole Miss

🏅 Winner: Ole Miss

  • 1,939 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,481 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 76% % OOH of Total

  • 3,420 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.1 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Lipscomb vs. Iowa State

🏅 Winner: Iowa State

  • 412 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,450 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 352% % OOH of Total

  • 1,862 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.26 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

New Mexico vs. Marquette

🏅 Winner: New Mexico

  • 2,387 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,587 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 66% % OOH of Total

  • 3,974 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.19 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Bryant vs. Michigan St.

🏅 Winner: Michigan St.

  • 1,948 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 871 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 45% % OOH of Total

  • 2,819 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.05 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Mt. St. Mary's vs. Duke

🏅 Winner: Duke

  • 3,549 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 912 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 26% % OOH of Total

  • 4,461 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.18 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Baylor vs. Mississippi State

🏅 Winner: Baylor

  • 4,506 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,431 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 32% % OOH of Total

  • 5,937 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.78 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Liberty vs. Oregon

🏅 Winner: Oregon

  • 510 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 694 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 136% % OOH of Total

  • 1,204 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.31 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Akron vs. Arizona

🏅 Winner: Arizona

  • 725 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,300 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 179% % OOH of Total

  • 2,025 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.42 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

VCU vs. BYU

🏅 Winner: BYU

  • 725 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,272 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 117% % OOH of Total

  • 2,755 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.74 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Montana vs. Wisconsin

🏅 Winner: Wisconsin

  • 781 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,449 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 186% % OOH of Total

  • 2,230 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.5 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Vanderbilt vs. St. Mary's

🏅 Winner: St. Mary's

  • 1,152 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,557 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 135% % OOH of Total

  • 2,709 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.7 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Robert Morris vs. Alabama

🏅 Winner: Alabama

  • 965 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,473 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 153% % OOH of Total

  • 2,438 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.61 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Norfolk State vs. Florida

🏅 Winner: Florida

  • 1,879 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,780 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 95% % OOH of Total

  • 3,659 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Oklahoma vs. Uconn

🏅 Winner: Uconn

  • 1,879 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,112 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 49% % OOH of Total

  • 3,659 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.25 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Colorado State vs. Memphis

🏅 Winner: Colorado State

  • 1,034 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,614 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 156% % OOH of Total

  • 2,648 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.62 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Grand Canyon vs. Maryland

🏅 Winner: Maryland

  • 1,455 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,926 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 132% % OOH of Total

  • 3,381 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.77 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Drake vs. Missouri

🏅 Winner: Drake

  • 1,294 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,300 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 100% % OOH of Total

  • 2,594 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.75 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

UNCW vs. Texas Tech

🏅 Winner: Texas Tech

  • 1,079 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 752 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 70% % OOH of Total

  • 1,831 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.65 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Arkansas vs. Kansas

🏅 Winner: Arkansas

  • 6,700 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,278 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 19% % OOH of Total

  • 7,978 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 3.6 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Omaha vs. St. John's

🏅 Winner: St. John's

  • 5,039 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 765 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 15% % OOH of Total

  • 5,804 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.83 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

SIUE vs. Houston

🏅 Winner: Houston

  • 394 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,349 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 342% % OOH of Total

  • 1,733 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.2 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Georgia vs. Gonzaga

🏅 Winner: Gonzaga

  • 1,565 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,336 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 85% % OOH of Total

  • 2,901 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.83 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

McNeese vs. Clemson

🏅 Winner: McNeese

  • 1,530 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,263 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 83% % OOH of Total

  • 2,793 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.92 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

High Point vs. Purdue

🏅 Winner: Purdue

  • 995 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,527 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 153% % OOH of Total

  • 2,522 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.63 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Xavier vs. Illinois

🏅 Winner: Illinois

  • 4,064 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 756 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 19% % OOH of Total

  • 4,820 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.32 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Troy vs. Kentucky

🏅 Winner: Kentucky

  • 4,768 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,390 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 29% % OOH of Total

  • 6,158 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.59 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/21

Utah State vs. UCLA

🏅 Winner: UCLA

  • 1,044 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,030 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 99% % OOH of Total

  • 2,074 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.59 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Wofford vs. Tennessee

🏅 Winner: Tennessee

  • 2,007 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,394 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 69% % OOH of Total

  • 3,401 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.06 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/20

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Sweet 16.

Second Round

  • 4,366 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,423 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 5,790 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.37 Average of Live SD RTG Households

  • 18 # of TCs

Teams per region

  • Midwest: 8
  • South: 14
  • Northeast: 2
  • West: 8
  • Grand Total: 32

The second round drove 4.4M average in-home viewers, including 4 simulcasted telecasts, with the Southern and Western regions leading in teams represented.

Michigan vs. Texas A&M, a second-round primetime clash, ranked as the 8th most viewed telecast, fueled by massive alumni bases.

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Sweet 16.

Second Round viewership trends by region

Second Round Shake Up

Hover over regions to see underlying state definitions.

Creighton vs. Auburn

🏅 Winner: Auburn

  • 2,120 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,891 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 89% % OOH of Total

  • 4,011 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.09 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

Michigan vs. Texas A&M

🏅 Winner: Michigan

  • 8,536 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,862 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 22% % OOH of Total

  • 10,398 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 4.61 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

Ole Miss vs. Iowa State

🏅 Winner: Ole Miss

  • 1,088 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,260 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 116% % OOH of Total

  • 2,348 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.64 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

New Mexico vs. Michigan State

🏅 Winner: Michigan State

  • 3,439 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,379 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 40% % OOH of Total

  • 4,818 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.89 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

Baylor vs. Duke

🏅 Winner: Duke

  • 9,513 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,716 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 18% % OOH of Total

  • 11,229 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 5.13 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

Oregon vs. Arizona

🏅 Winner: Arizona

  • 2,960 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 996 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 34% % OOH of Total

  • 3,956 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.58 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

BYU vs. Wisconsin

🏅 Winner: BYU

  • 5,873 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,602 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 27% % OOH of Total

  • 7,475 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 3.24 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

St. Mary's vs. Alabama

🏅 Winner: Alabama

  • 2,039 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,746 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 86% % OOH of Total

  • 3,785 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.1 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

UConn vs. Florida

🏅 Winner: Florida

  • 8,743 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,478 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 17% % OOH of Total

  • 10,221 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 4.74 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

Colorado State vs. Maryland

🏅 Winner: Maryland

  • 2,794 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,648 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 59% % OOH of Total

  • 4,442 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.45 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

Drake vs. Texas Tech

🏅 Winner: Texas Tech

  • 1,244 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,990 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 160% % OOH of Total

  • 3,234 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.69 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

Arkansas vs. St. John's

🏅 Winner: Arkansas

  • 9,002 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,929 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 21% % OOH of Total

  • 10,931 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 4.87 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

Gonzaga vs. Houston

🏅 Winner: Houston

  • 2,304 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,768 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 77% % OOH of Total

  • 4,072 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.25 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TNT

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

McNeese vs. Purdue

🏅 Winner: Purdue

  • 6,060 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,249 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 21% % OOH of Total

  • 7,309 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 3.3 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

Illinois vs. Kentucky

🏅 Winner: Kentucky

  • 8,977 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,625 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 18% % OOH of Total

  • 10,602 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 4.88 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/23

UCLA vs. Tennessee

🏅 Winner: Tennessee

  • 2,356 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,455 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 62% % OOH of Total

  • 3,811 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.27 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/22

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Elite 8.

Sweet 16

  • 3,406 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 606 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 4,012 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.86 Average of Live SD RTG Households

  • 12 # of TCs

Teams per region

  • Midwest: 3
  • South: 11
  • West: 2
  • Grand Total: 16

On a Ratings basis, the Regional Semi-Final round was the only round that saw a decline from a prior round– down -22% from the Second Round. (1.86 vs. 2.37 Rtg).

The Sweet 16 marked the end of Northeastern and Western representation, however the Northeast still ranked 3rd on HH viewership among all regions (1.66 HH Rtg).

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Elite 8.

Sweet 16 viewership trends by region

First Out: Northeast

Hover over regions to see underlying state definitions.

Michigan vs. Auburn

🏅 Winner: Auburn

  • 7,475 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 812 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 11% % OOH of Total

  • 8,287 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 4.19 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/28

Ole Miss vs. Michigan State

🏅 Winner: Michigan State

  • 7,201 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,319 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 18% % OOH of Total

  • 8,520 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 3.89 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/28

Arizona vs. Duke

🏅 Winner: Duke

  • 7,345 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 616 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 8% % OOH of Total

  • 7,961 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 4.1 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/27

BYU vs. Alabama

🏅 Winner: Alabama

  • 6,479 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 843 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 13% % OOH of Total

  • 7,322 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 3.49 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/27

Maryland vs. Florida

🏅 Winner: Florida

  • 2,872 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 654 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 23% % OOH of Total

  • 3,526 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.45 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/27

Arkansas vs. Texas Tech

🏅 Winner: Texas Tech

  • 2,012 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 486 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 24% % OOH of Total

  • 2,498 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.1 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Thursday

Broadcast Date

3/27

Purdue vs. Houston

🏅 Winner: Houston

  • 629 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 192 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 21% % OOH of Total

  • 821 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 0.39 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TRUTV

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/28

Kentucky vs. Tennessee

🏅 Winner: Tennessee

  • 2,374 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 992 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 42% % OOH of Total

  • 3,366 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 1.2 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Friday

Broadcast Date

3/28

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Final Four.

Elite 8

  • 5,838 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 954 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 6,792 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 3.05 Average of Live SD RTG Households

  • 6 # of TCs

Teams per region

  • Midwest: 1
  • South: 7
  • Grand Total: 8

Texan households showed steady loyalty, setting the stage for their +74% growth into the Elite 8 and +72% surge into the Final Four. *Includes simulcasted telecasts.

High-income viewers showed up strong towards the end, with the 3/30 Michigan vs. Auburn telecast, the Final Four and Championship telecasts all pulling in 1M+ HHs with a $200K+ income.

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Final Four.

Elite 8 viewership trends by region

1 vs. 7, Midwest vs. South

Hover over regions to see underlying state definitions.

Michigan St vs. Auburn

🏅 Winner: Auburn

  • 11,446 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,351 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 12% % OOH of Total

  • 12,798 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 5.99 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/30

Alabama vs. Duke

🏅 Winner: Duke

  • 6,487 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 745 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 12% % OOH of Total

  • 7,232 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 3.26 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/29

Texas Tech vs. Florida

🏅 Winner: Florida

  • 5,262 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 702 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 13% % OOH of Total

  • 5,964 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 2.57 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

TBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

3/29

Tennessee vs. Houston

🏅 Winner: Houston

  • 7,944 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,328 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 17% % OOH of Total

  • 9,272 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 4.31 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Sunday

Broadcast Date

3/30

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Championship.

Final Four

  • 13,462 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,492 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 14,954 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 7.17 Average of Live SD RTG Households

  • 2 # of TCs

Teams per region

  • South: 4
  • Grand Total: 4

Massive spikes from states still in the tournament: Texas: +72% growth vs. Regional Finals. Florida: +90% growth vs. previous round.

Elite matchups began drawing top investor households (having at least $100K in invested assets) and those with high discretionary income (HHs $200K).

OOH started to drop as more fans settled in for big-screen, at-home viewing– down to 10% OOH during the Final Four.

Get the full play-by-play.

Select a matchup to explore telecast-level viewership insights, or click next to explore viewership insights for Championship.

Final Four viewership trends by region

Final Face-off

Hover over regions to see underlying state definitions.

Florida vs. Auburn

🏅 Winner: Florida

  • 13,720 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,745 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 13% % OOH of Total

  • 15,465 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 7.13 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

4/5

Duke vs. Houston

🏅 Winner: Houston

  • 13,204 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 1,238 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 9% % OOH of Total

  • 14,442 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 7.2 Average of Live SD RTG Households

Network

CBS

Day Of Week

Saturday

Broadcast Date

4/5

Get the full play-by-play.

Click previous round to explore more telecast-level viewership insights for prior rounds.

Championship

Florida vs. Houston

🏆

Winner: Florida

  • 17,628 Live + SD AA (000)

  • 961 Out of Home Live + SD AA (000)

  • 18,590 TOTAL with OOH Live SD (000) Total Persons

  • 9.3 Average of Live SD RTG Households

  • 1 # of TCs

Teams per region

  • South: 2
  • Grand Total: 2

The National Championship telecast was the highest-rated single telecast with 18.6M average viewers, including OOH.

It ironically had the lowest OOH percentage (5%) — proving fans prefer to watch the Monday night finale at home.

Texan fans tuned in heavily, 40% more likely to watch than average (12.98 vs. 9.3 Rating).

Florida fans also over-indexed, 18% more likely to watch. (11.0 vs. 9.3 Rating)

The Southern Region earned the highest regional HH Rating (11.31), capping off a tournament-long rise.

Get the full play-by-play.

Click previous round to explore more telecast-level viewership insights for prior rounds.

Championship viewership trends by region

Southern Showdown!

Hover over regions to see underlying state definitions.

This was March!

In this section we explore the top NCAA telecasts by total viewership, OOH audience volume, and OOH share—revealing where and how fans tuned in most.

Top 5 Most Viewed Men’s NCAA Telecasts

This chart ranks the top five telecasts on Total Persons average audience delivery inclusive of Out-of-home viewership.

Highlights

  • The National Championship telecast led with 18.6M viewers, with OOH at just 5%—the lowest lift of any tournament telecast.

Top 5 Telecasts by OOH Audience Volume

This chart ranks the top five telecasts on Total Persons Out-of-home average audience delivery.

Highlights

  • The 2nd round Drake vs. Texas Tech telecast (Saturday at 6p Eastern) led in OOH viewers, while two CBS Saturday telecasts (with 10M+ total viewers) had a similar range, placing all three among the OOH top 5.
  • Michigan vs. Texas A&M drew big 2nd-round viewership, ranking 8th—likely boosted by strong student/alumni fanbases.

Top 5 Telecasts by OOH Percent Share

This chart ranks the top five telecasts by percentage of Total Persons Out-of-home average audience delivery.

Highlights

  • First round telecasts on TNT, TBS & truTV (all five listed here) had the highest OOH %, with 60–78% of total viewership coming from OOH.

Focusing on
the Champions

Advanced Audiences help size geo-based targets fairly. Below is a by-round HH viewership trend for the two finalist states’ audiences.

Floridian households watching
Texan households watching

🏆 Championship 🏆

Percentages shown represent % of total state residents (UE) who watched the telecast

Highlights

  1. 1

    Florida viewership surged early

    Florida HH viewership started strong, jumping +195% from First Four to First Round, and +90% from Elite 8 to Final Four, and more than double the national average for the Regional Semi-Finals (+179%).

  2. 2

    Texans tuned in later

    Overall both Floridian and Texan households were approximately 13% less likely to have watched the NCAA Men’s tournament even though both states made it to the National Championship game.

  3. 3

    Championship states watched less

    Even though Texas lost the championship, Texan households consistently demonstrated fan loyalty, really gaining interest during the Second Round (+302% vs. prior round) and the Elite 8 (+74% vs. the prior round).

Advanced Audience Takeaways

1

Affluent viewers closed the tournament, with 4 telecasts having pulled 1M+ households earning $200K+, including the Championship & Final Four.

2

Less health-conscious homes were 16% more likely to tune in on a ratings basis compared to more health-focused households. (2.42 vs. 2.08).

The game has changed—VideoAmp helps brands win with real audience insights, not assumptions.

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