Prime-time NCAA Tournament games average 12.2 million viewers, the most for the 1st round

NEW YORK — Thursday night’s NCAA Tournament games were the most-watched prime-time first-round slate in March Madness history, averaging 12.2 million viewers across CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV.

The most-watched game in the prime-time window was Arkansas’ 79-72 victory over Kansas on CBS.

The other early prime-time games were Tennessee-Wofford on TNT, Yale-Texas A&M on TBS and Drake-Missouri on truTV.

Three of the four games were competitive. Texas A&M didn’t pull away from Yale until late in the second half, and 11th-seeded Drake topped No. 6 seed Missouri.

The nightcap on CBS was St. John’s beating Omaha 83-53.

Overall, Thursday’s 16 games averaged 9.1 million viewers, a 6% increase over last year.

The tournament through Thursday — including the First Four — is averaging 8.8 million, the most under the current format with 68 teams. That’s is also an 8% jump over 2024.