Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of Monday night’s NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game between Kansas and North Carolina was the most-watched ever on cable TV.
But Kansas’ come-from-behind 72-69 win over UNC was actually beaten in the TV numbers by the Tar Heels’ previous Final Four win over rival Duke.
Airing across TBS, TNT and truTV, Kansas-North Carolina delivered a total audience delivery of 18.1 million viewers — up 4% over last year’s Baylor vs. Gonzaga championship.
Despite featuring the biggest halftime comeback in championship game history, Kansas-UNC still trailed the 18.5 million average viewers posted for the UNC-Duke National Semifinal on Saturday night.
Monday night’s men’s championship capped a strong TV performance for this year’s March Madness.
The 2022 NCAA men’s tournament averaged 10.7 million viewers across 67 game telecasts. That’s up 13% from last year.
The NCAA’s March Madness social handles posted a 58% increase across the tournament, including a 33% boost for the Championship Game.
