(Bloomberg) — Kansas University’s college basketball championship win over the University of North Carolina Monday drew an audience of 18.1 million viewers on three cable TV networks, capping a tournament that saw ratings grow from last year.
The audience for the final was up 4% over last year’s championship, helping the 2022 NCAA tournament overall increase its viewership by 13% over 2021, CBS Sports and WarnerMedia’s Turner Sports said Tuesday in a statement.
The popularity of the men’s basketball tournament with fans was especially evident in the home stretch. The April 2 semifinal matchup between the University of North Carolina and Duke University drew an audience of 18.5 million, the broadcasters said, topping the championship.
That’s good news for broadcasters like AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia and CBS, owned by Paramount Global, which invest heavily in sports rights and count on large audiences to attract big-spending advertisers.
Last year’s game, which wasn’t close, was the least-watched national championship final since CBS started broadcasting the games in 1982.
This year’s final was broadcast on WarnerMedia cable channels TBS, TNT and truTV. Each year, CBS and WarnerMedia alternate showing the semifinal and final of the tournament.
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