March Madness reaches best TV ratings in 30 years ahead of Final Four

Braylon Mullins (24) reacts after game-winning basket against Duke
Braylon Mullins (24) reacts after game-winning basket against DukeAbbie Parr / CTK / AP

The 2026 March Madness tournament set a 30-year record high in TV viewership, according to Nielsen's Big Data + Panel, which tracked data from over 45 million households and 75 million devices.

CBS Sports and TNT set a record average of 10.3 million viewers throughout the tournament up to the Elite 8 this past weekend - the most since 1993. 

The Elite 8 matchup between UConn and Duke reached just under 19 million viewers at peak, with an average of 13.4 million viewers. 

Duke vs. St. John's and Michigan vs. Alabama averaged 14.2 million during the Sweet 16, with every game in the Elite 8 averaging a higher viewership than last year. Now, the tournament is down to its Final Four. 

(2) UConn will take on (3) Illinois on April 4th at 6:09 p.m. Eastern time, with (1) Michigan vs. (1) Arizona right after that at 8:49 p.m. 

Michigan dominated Tennessee 95-62, making them the only team to score at least 90 points in each of their tournament games. Meanwhile, Arizona, coming off a 79-64 win over Purdue, clinched their first Final Four in 25 years.

Meanwhile, UConn is coming off one of the greatest comebacks in tournament history to take down Duke, as they now face an Illinois team who are coming off a dominant 71-59 win over Iowa, as it's now their first Final Four appearance in 21 years.

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