NCAA TV Ratings Highest Since 2005
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NCAA tournament's television ratings are the highest since 2005.
Through the regional finals, this year's tourney has averaged a 6.0 rating and 13 share. That's up 11 percent from 2010.
This was the first season of the NCAA's 14-year, $10.8 billion contract with CBS and Turner, which meant every game was televised nationally for the first time.
Sunday's regional finals on CBS earned a 7.6/16, the same as 2010.
CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus says "as far as I'm concerned, I think everything turned out even better than I thought it was going to."
Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
