The NCAA men’s “First Four” continued to be a major draw for viewers on Wednesday, March 20, as Colorado’s win over Boise State was the most-watched sporting event of the night. The game, which aired on truTV, averaged an impressive 1.78 million viewers, representing a 30% increase from last year. Grambling’s matchup against Montana State also saw a bump in viewership, with an average of 1.45 million viewers tuning in.
Overall, the men’s “First Four” games on truTV averaged a combined 6.18 million viewers, marking a 14% increase from last year. On the women’s side, the “First Four” matchup between Vanderbilt and Columbia averaged 153,000 viewers on ESPNU.
In other sports news, ESPN’s NBA doubleheader experienced a decrease in viewership compared to the same night last year. The Major League Baseball season kicked off with 350,000 viewers for ESPN’s broadcast of the Padres-Dodgers game from Seoul, South Korea. Meanwhile, TNT’s NHL doubleheader averaged 253,000 viewers, down 19% from last year.
On the tennis front, the Miami Open tennis tournament saw a peak viewership of 145,000 for Andy Murray’s victory over Matteo Berrettini. With sports fans eagerly tuning in to a variety of events across different leagues, it’s clear that the excitement of live sports remains a major draw for viewers.
