Day 1 March Madness Viewing for Men’s Tournament up YoY to 21.3M

By George Winslow
published

More than one third of viewers plan to watch both the men’s and women’s tournament

NCAA
(Image credit: NCAA)

New data from AdImpact indicates that day 1 of the NCAA Men’s Tournament saw increased viewership with audiences peaking at approximately 21.3 million viewers at 8:54 PM EDT compared to 20.4mn viewers reached at 8:22 PM EDT in 2023.

Streaming viewership also rose, increasing from 29.3% of viewers in 2023 to 39.5% in 2024 while linear decreased from 70.7% in 2023 to 60.5% in 2024. YouTube TV accounted for a significant share of streaming, including 16.6% of total TVs in 2024 (12.1% in 2023), according to AdImpact.  

LG Ad Solutions provided additional data in its latest sports study, which surveyed more than 850 US consumers to determine behavior and TV viewership preferences towards watching live sports founds. Highlights of that study included: 

  • 74% of CTV users watch live sports via streaming apps, with nearly 30% planning to watch March Madness this year only via streaming this year. 
  • 36% of March Madness viewers tune into both the Women’s and Men’s tournaments
  • 30% of Men’s game viewers and 22% of Women’s game viewers tune into the Final Four and 34% of Men’s game viewers and 42% of Women’s game viewers tune into the Championship
  • 64% of CTV viewers are likely to pay attention to ads while watching live sports, providing marketers with an opportunity to reach and engage consumers during March Madness and beyond

(Image credit: AdImpact)
George Winslow
George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.