Duke-UCF thriller helps boost TV ratings for NCAA Tournament
By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Mar 25, 2019 10:40 AM CDT
Central Florida guard Aubrey Dawkins, left, battles for a rebound against Duke's Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish (5) after missing a potential game-winning tip-in during the second half of a second-round game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Sunday, March 24, 2019, in Columbia, S.C....   (Associated Press)

CBS Sports and Turner Sports say television ratings for the NCAA Tournament across four networks that broadcast the first week of games were up 8 percent over last year.

Tournaments games drew an average Nielsen rating of 6.4, up from 5.9 last year. The rating got a boost from the dramatic Duke-UCF game on Sunday. The Blue Devils' one-point victory earned an 11.9 rating, up 35 percent from the game that aired in that same television window last year. The game had the second-highest rating in that time slot in the 29 years since the tournament expanded to its current format.

Ratings represent the percentage of U.S. television households tuned into a program.

CBS and Turner also announced Monday that NCAA March Madness Live set a new high for live streams and live hours of consumption, up more than 25 percent from last year.

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