NCAA Tournament has best opening week on record, averaging 10.1 million viewers
A ball sits on the court during a timeout in the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament game between Iowa State and Kentucky, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
The NCAA Tournament had its best first week on record, averaging 10.1 million viewers through the second round across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.
Tournament viewership is up 7% from last year, according to Nielsen. CBS and TNT began showing all of the games in 2011 after CBS had done early rounds in regional windows from 1991 through 2010.
The first round on Thursday and Friday averaged 9.5 million viewers — a 9% increase — while the second round on Saturday and Sunday averaged 11 million. That is the most-viewed second round since 1993 and a 7% jump from last year.
Sunday's early prime-time window, featuring St. John's-Kansas on CBS, Iowa-Florida on TBS and Virginia-Tennessee on TNT, averaged 19.7 million, making it the most-watched window in tournament history for the first week.
