March Madness viewership booms to near 20-year high

Viewership for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament reached record levels this March, driven by several high-profile matchups in the Elite Eight and exploding interest in the games thanks to sports gambling.

The NCAA, in conjunction with its media partners at CBS and Turner Sports, said this year’s tournament garnered the largest audience the bracket-style, single-elimination event has earned since 1993, averaging more than 10 million viewers through the second weekend of competition.

Viewership peaked during Sunday’s wild finish between Duke and UConn, which featured a double-digit comeback and buzzer beater and was watched by more than 18 million fans at its highest point. The Duke-UConn matchup averaged more than 13 million during the course of the game.

The Sweet Sixteen games on Thursday and Friday also earned the tournament a big audience, averaging more than 14 million viewers and representing 38 percent increase from the previous year.

The NCAA March Madness tournament has exploded in popularity in recent years, with television rights growing more expensive and advertisements during the games becoming an annual point of discussion online.

Millions of Americans wagered on games over the last two weeks, with more and larger bets expected to come in ahead of Saturday’s Final Four in Indianapolis.

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