The biggest time for college basketball is just around the corner – will this year’s ad campaigns make a slam dunk, or will the viewers call a foul play? March Madness is one of the biggest events in college spots. This year, March Madness starts on March 14th and concludes on April 3rd. 68 Men’s college basketball teams duel it out during a single elimination tournament to see who will become the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Champion.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports own the TV rights to air March Madness, so games will be broadcast across CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. In 2022, an average of 10.7 Million viewers tuned in to watch March Madness. That is a 12% increase in viewership from the year 2021, in which an average of 9.47 million people watched the tournament. Speaking of viewership, March Madness precedes the NBA Finals in ratings and impressions! In the last 24 years, March Madness has surpassed the NBA Finals in viewership 14 times.
Now, TV is not the only place that consumers can catch up on their March Madness brackets. Radio plays a big role in March Madness viewership as well. Consumers who listen to sports over the radio are considered to be more engaged fans – they want to hear every play and every call and are very passionate about the sports they are listening too. They are more likely to attend live sporting events, bet on games and make purchases in the sporting category (attire, fan gear, etc.) vs fans who watch on TV alone. MRI Simmons recently came out with a new study that compares NCAA Basketball viewership trends between TV views and Radio listeners. Compared to the US Average, 78% of NCAA Basketball radio listeners agree that advertising is interesting, and 60% agree that it provides them with useful information about new products and services.
This year, March Madness is expected to make waves all across American households. According to EffectTV, households watch an average of 9.25 hours of programming, over the course of the three-week tournament. With heightened viewership, March Madness ads reach 245% more households per commercial vs. the average spot. EffectTV also states that streaming networks airing the tournament also saw an 86% increase in viewership! March Madness draws in sports junkies alike on TV, radio and streaming!
With engaged fans, comes engaged purchasers – we would love to help you convert consumers! We have diverse expertise in TV, radio and streaming when it comes to buying sports packages ranging from March Madness, MLB or even the Super Bowl. Let us help you plan your next campaign! Contact us at [email protected] to learn more.
