NCAA Tournament Off to Fast Start for CBS, Turner

Another year, another record start to March Madness for CBS and Turner.

CBS and Turner’s exclusive coverage of the opening week of the 2015 Men’s Basketball Tournament averaged a 6.7 overnight household rating, the highest in the tournament’s history through the first Sunday.

The 6.7 rating is up 6% over last year.

The networks’ third-round coverage night over the weekend — which saw #1 seed Villanova get upset by North Carolina State on Saturday — averaged a 7.3 rating, up 7% over last year. The tournament has seen record ratings ever since CBS and Turner partnered in 2011 to carry all the games across four networks: CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV.

NCAA March Madness Live has also generated a record 54 million live video streams through Sunday, a 7% increase over last year.