Ncaa Tournament Title Game Draws Most Viewers Since 1997

Duke rallied to defeat Wisconsin 68-63 on Monday night, and CBS averaged 28.3 million viewers. The last time a championship game garnered such high viewership was 18 years ago, when Arizona upset Kentucky in overtime, according to CBS and the NCAA.

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Wisconsin’s semifinal against Kentucky also made TV history, with the broadcast collecting the highest rating for a Final Four game in 22 years.

CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV averaged 11.3 million viewers during March Madness, the most since 1993 and an 8 percent increase from a year ago.