Updated: 3:55 p.m. ET
Live coverage of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
Championship on CBS, TBS, TNT and tru TV combined for a 5.5
rating tournament-to-date, up 15% for CBS Sports' 2010 coverage, according to
Nielsen Fast Nationals.
The four networks have averaged 8.4 million total viewers, up 14% from the one-network coverage in 2010, and the highest average total viewers through the first week of games in 17 years.
Sunday's coverage of the third round combined for a 6.6 household rating, up 16% from 2010 on CBS and tying 2005 as the highest-rated first Sunday of the tournament since 2000. Sunday viewership was also up 18% over last year to 10.5 million viewers.
This is the first year that all games of the tournament have
been shown live, across four networks.
