The ratings for 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship have shot through the roof this season. With the ‘Final Four’ now set, ‘March Madness’ has got all the more exciting.
As Kentucky, Michigan, Duke and Wisconsin sweat it out it for the title; we know that CBS Corporation CBS and Turner Broadcasting System, a unit of Time Warner Inc. TWX will emerge as the real winners of the tournament.
As per Nielsen, overall rating for the 77th edition of the tournament has been 7.2 overnight rating/15 share, up 11% year over year and the highest since 1991.
For Saturday/Sunday, average of 8.0/16 on CBS and TBS was up 23% from last year and is the highest rating for the regional finals in the last decade.
With some touting this year’s Final Four as the best in recent years, the viewership is guaranteed to peak further, spelling great business for both the broadcasters. TBS will be broadcasting the two ‘Final Four’ matches while CBS will relay the final on Apr 6. All matches will be held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
2015 marks the fifth year of the 14-year agreement between CBS Corp and TBS for NCAA coverage. In Apr 2010, NCAA entered into a $10.8 billion deal involving television, the Internet and wireless rights with both CBS and Turner Broadcasting System. The agreement, effective since 2011, runs through 2024. According to the deal, all games will be televised live across four national networks, namely CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV.
Given the massive popularity of the event, CBS Corp. and Time Warner investors are likely to enjoy solid returns. In March, so far shares of both companies have been trending upward and are likely to continue the same. With more viewership and higher advertising revenues, both the companies are poised for top-line growth.
Apart from the broadcasters, fast food joints, restaurants and bars will also make the most of the hoopla surrounding the tournament. Burger and pizza hubs like Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. BWLD, Domino's Pizza, Inc. DPZ, Papa John's International Inc, are all gearing up for the final leg of the event.
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