March Madness opening day draws its largest television audience in EIGHT years with 8.4 million viewers tuning in… surpassing the 6.3 million who watched the NFL Pro Bowl in February
The first day of March Madness was watched by a whopping 8.4 million people – that’s the biggest TV audience in eight years.
CBS Sports, TBS, TNT and truTV aired the first college basketball game on Thursday, with audiences up 2 percent from last year, according to receiving sports.
The 2022 MLB All-Star Game on Fox Sports was reportedly watched by 7.5 million, while the NFL’s redesigned Pro Bowl in February drew just 6.3 million viewers.
Thursday’s premiere also recorded its most-watched afternoon slot of all time, as broadcasts drew an average of 6.8 million viewers. That number was a 15 percent increase from last season.
Furman’s last-minute victory over No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament surely only helped.
Furman kicked off the March Madness by causing the first upset by defeating Virginia.
The men’s and women’s select shows on CBS and ESPN on Sunday also drew more viewers than in 2022.