Unless you live under a rock, you have probably heard that someone leaked the NCAA Tournament bracket about two hours before the official CBS Selection Show. Whomever leaked the bracket is probably going to get into a fair amount of trouble, but it saved many folks from having to sit through the two-hour special. The big questions after the leak (other than who did it), was how it would affect the ratings for the selection show. It appears, as one would imagine, it didn’t help the ratings…
CBS drew a 3.7 overnight rating for NCAA Selection Show. Lowest in around 20 years. First-ever 2-hour format in 2016. Also had bracket leak.
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) March 14, 2016
Remember a few things before you jump to a full conclusion based on Austin Karp’s Tweet:
– The 3.7 rating is actually very good.
– We don’t have the hourly breakdown of the ratings yet.
– Why would people actually watch the show when they can tune in after to see the brackets?
– This show has been going on for years, and fatigue is natural.
Also, this:
In less rounded overnight ratings, NCAA selection show on CBS only down 3.6% (3.72 vs 3.86)
— Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) March 14, 2016
One way or another, CBS is probably not too pleased.
