March Madness Draws Improved Online Traffic But TV Ratings Slip
NCAA Tourney Delivers Mixed Results For CBS
By Larry Barrett -- Multichannel News, 3/26/2008 9:00:00 AM
For CBS and its advertisers, the good news is traffic for its NCAA March Madness on Demand streaming video service for the first- and second-round games of the tournament jumped 129% from last year. The bad news: TV ratings slipped 9%.
Such is the challenge for CBS and every other media and entertainment organization looking to find the ideal blend of content and services to meet the needs of an ever-expanding online audience without cannibalizing its traditional revenue streams.
Nielsen ratings for the first 48 games spanning Thursday through Sunday garnered a 4.8 household rating and 11 share, down from a 5.3 rating and 12 share during last year’s edition of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
However, CBSSports.com said its NCAA March Madness on Demand video player lured more than 3.3 million daily unique visitors during the four-day mayhem, up 129% from the roughly 1.45 million unique visitors it attracted last year.
This impressive upswing was undoubtedly assisted by CBSSports.com’s decision to drop registration requirements, allowing fans to immediately access the video player from office cubicles, dorm rooms and taverns around the world.
Total minutes of live streaming video and audio consumed in the first four days of the tournament checked in at more than 3.7 million total hours, surpassing the entire 2007 total of 2.7 million hours. In addition, more than 3.6 million fans have signed up to play in the online bracket games, up from 2.2 million in 2007.
For the first time, all 63 tournament games will be available online.
CBS continues its extensive coverage of the tournament this week with NCAA March Madness Central, a preview of the “Sweet 16” games Wednesday, March 26 and Thursday, March 26 at 5 p.m. ET.
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