Kentucky's nail-biting win over Notre Dame Saturday night had a lot of eyes glued to screens across the United States.
In fact, the numbers that came in Sunday revealed that college basketball television history was made as the Wildcats edged the Irish to reach the Final Four.
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Kentucky-Notre Dame Thriller on TBS Delivers Highest Overnight Rating (9.0) for College Basketball Game in Cable Television History
— March Madness TV (@MarchMadnessTV) March 29, 2015According to a press release from CBS, the viewership peaked as the game was winding down.
Last night’s thrilling NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Kentucky and Notre Dame on TBS generated a 9.0/16 overnight rating/share – peaking with an 11.9/21 from 10:45-11:00 PM, ET – to deliver the highest overnight rating for a college basketball game in cable television history.
The Kentucky/Notre Dame telecast is up 53% over last year’s comparable game and is the highest rating in the telecast window in 10 years. The Arizona vs. Wisconsin game averaged a 5.7/12 overnight rating/share for a 24% increase over last year.
It's not a surprise that a lot of people tuned in to watch Saturday's showdown. It was arguably the best game of the tournament, with Kentucky winning by two points on a pair of Andrew Harrison free throws with six seconds left in regulation. Next week's Final Four matchup between Kentucky and Wisconsin should draw a big audience, as well.