NCAAT Expansion

[IthacaMatt]

Because the NCAA tournament remains probably the best event in all of sports. It’s widely acknowledged that the 64 team and 68 team expansions have only made the event better and nothing has been lost. Only brain dead old farts who afraid of change oppose expansion. You want data? The TV ratings and fan interest has been through the roof, and the NCAA is making more money from the tourney than ever before. Where’s YOUR data or metrics that previous expansions haven’t been the right moves?

Uh, no, the ratings are not through the roof.
They're down about 10% in the last 10 years for the full tournament.
The last Finals was the 2nd lowest rated EVER.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Uh, no, the ratings are not through the roof.
They're down about 10% in the last 10 years for the full tournament.
The last Finals was the 2nd lowest rated EVER.

Every sport is down post Covid.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The first rounds of the NCAA tournament this year drew as many fans as the final round of the masters, every NHL hockey game this year, every NBA game outside of the Finals and every baseball game last year.

Here's a historical look at Final Four TV audience for you, since you're still in denial about this.

If Duke, North Carolina or Kentucky are in the Final Four, the ratings are great.
If not, the ratings continue to decline.

NCAA Men's Final Four Ratings Hub

A historical chart of NCAA Final Four ratings, including national championship games dating back to 1975 and national semifinals dating back to 1997.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[IthacaMatt]

Every sport is down post Covid.

Again, no. The NFL had it's best year since 2015 in terms of ratings last year. It was their 2nd highest rated season ever, behind only 2010.

NFL sees best average viewership since 2015

NFL audiences continued to rise in 2023, with the league seeing its best viewership overall since 2015.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

You might consider looking things up before you automatically disagree with everything.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Again, no. The NFL had it's best year since 2015 in terms of ratings last year. It was their 2nd highest rated season ever, behind only 2010.

NFL sees best average viewership since 2015

NFL audiences continued to rise in 2023, with the league seeing its best viewership overall since 2015.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

You might consider looking things up before you automatically disagree with everything.

I did. The NFL is the exception. Check every other league.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Here's a historical look at Final Four TV audience for you, since you're still in denial about this.

If Duke, North Carolina or Kentucky are in the Final Four, the ratings are great.
If not, the ratings continue to decline.

NCAA Men's Final Four Ratings Hub

A historical chart of NCAA Final Four ratings, including national championship games dating back to 1975 and national semifinals dating back to 1997.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

You’re fixated on the FF. The FF is not the entire tournament.

 

[Charbroil]

I did. The NFL is the exception. Check every other league.

Women’s basketball is also seeing an increase in ratings.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I did. The NFL is the exception. Check every other league.

(1) The NFL is a sport, and you said "Every sport is down post Covid." Uh, nope.

(2) Back tracking now to say, "well, except the NFL" is super lame.

(3) Are you going to say something similar about the NCAA tournament ratings now?

Are you going to tell us how G5 leagues did better ratings wise in the 2nd weekend in away games than ever before? LOL.

Tell us again about that great ratings for the play-in games. That was elucidating as hell. Paints a great picture for the future of the sport.

 

[MSOrange]

You’re fixated on the FF. The FF is not the first two rounds.

I'm firmly against expansion except for it keeps the Power leagues from splitting, as you have mentioned previously. But you're right about the overall ratings this year being up.

https://www.reuters.com/sports/ncaa-ratings-up-despite-second-lowest-audience-title-game-2024-04-10/#:~:text=Other%20recent%20ratings%20for%20the,Virginia%2DTexas%20Tech%20on%20CBS.

 

[IthacaMatt]

You’re fixated on the FF. The FF is not the entire tournament.

The entire tournament is down 10% in the last 10 years. I've posted it 3 times now.
Of course you don't read links, so, whatever.
And you're a moderator??

 

[Cusefan0307]

The entire tournament is down 10% in the last 10 years. I've posted it 3 times now.
Of course you don't read links, so, whatever.
And you're a moderator??

lol I’m not a moderator. Again see below.

NCAA Tournament posting historic viewership numbers

March Madness: Tournament ratings up after most-watched Elite Eight Sunday in 5 years

The Elite Eight game between NC State and Duke produced the largest audience for an Easter Sunday telecast on any network in 11 years.

apnews.com

 

[IthacaMatt]

Women’s basketball is also seeing an increase in ratings.

Premier League, Champions League and MSL have all gone up since COVID, too.

 

[IthacaMatt]

lol I’m not a moderator. Again see below.

NCAA Tournament posting historic viewership numbers

March Madness: Tournament ratings up after most-watched Elite Eight Sunday in 5 years

The Elite Eight game between NC State and Duke produced the largest audience for an Easter Sunday telecast on any network in 11 years.

apnews.com

Again, you pick one single round to try to prove your point, which is statistically insignificant, and which you have argued against!!

I gave you the average ratings of the ENTIRE TOURNAMENT in that link you refuse to read.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The first rounds of the NCAA tournament this year drew as many fans as the final round of the masters, every NHL hockey game this year, every NBA game outside of the Finals and every baseball game last year.

And yet, it's STILL DOWN TEN PERCENT FROM TEN YEARS AGO.

How could that be possible ????

P.S. - comparing to other sports isn't helping you.

 

[Cusefan0307]

And yet, it's STILL DOWN TEN PERCENT FROM TEN YEARS AGO.

How could that be possible ????

P.S. - comparing to other sports isn't helping you.

Those two articles are from every round outside of the FF.

If you need to be right have at it. It’s not worth that much to me.

 

[IthacaMatt]

If you need to be right have at it. It’s not worth that much to me.

No, that's you who can't admit you're wrong.
The NCAA basketball tournament is losing popularity.
It's statistically proven. It's a FACT.

The 2015 NCAA tournament has 11.3 million viewers per game, averaged for the entire tournament.
The Final drew 28.3 million viewers.

The 2024 NCAA tournament averaged under 9.9 million viewers averaged across the entire tournament, and only 14.4 million for the FInal - half of the audience for the Final compared to 10 years earlier.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

No, that's you who can't admit you're wrong.
The NCAA basketball tournament is losing popularity.
It's statistically proven. It's a FACT.

The 2015 NCAA tournament has 11.3 million viewers per game, averaged for the entire tournament.
The Final drew 28.3 million viewers.

The 2024 NCAA tournament averaged under 9.9 million viewers averaged across the entire tournament, and only 14.4 million for the FInal - half of the audience for the Final compared to 10 years earlier.

Nothing better than an old angry guy spotting off, yet again.

 

[orangecuse]

Again, no. The NFL had it's best year since 2015 in terms of ratings last year. It was their 2nd highest rated season ever, behind only 2010.

Well, who could've ever foreseen the causation.

 

[Orangezoo]

Nothing better than an old angry guy spotting off, yet again.

Seems to be what this thread should be re labeled as. I laid down my points and the “have to be right” get off my damn lawn crowd has continued their thing. Give them an award for finding some data ( which to me still looks like it’s skewed and missing all forms of viewership) something and be done with it lol.

Total viewership is also always going to be skewed if certain programs are playing deep into the tournament. UK, Duke, KU,UNC, Michigan for instance all draw big TV numbers- SU too. That reality doesn’t make a case one way or the other unless you think that consolidation of college sports is the way to go and let the NBA and NFL college league years commence.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Total viewership is also always going to be skewed if certain programs are playing deep into the tournament. UK, Duke, KU,UNC, Michigan for instance all draw big TV numbers- SU too. That reality doesn’t make a case one way or the other unless you think that consolidation of college sports is the way to go and let the NBA and NFL college league years commence.

Is total viewership "skewed" for 10 or 20 years in a row?
Asking for a friend.

 

[Orangezoo]

Is total viewership "skewed" for 10 or 20 years in a row?
Asking for a friend.

Can you speak to the other part of my posts vs cherry picking because you are fired up and angry? You forgot to keep reading. I’ll wait.

You can quit yelling at everyone imploring them to agree with you too. That, separate from the topic, is getting really old.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Can you speak to the other part of my posts vs cherry picking because you are fired up and angry? You forgot to keep reading. I’ll wait.

You can quit yelling at everyone imploring them to agree with you too. That, separate from the topic, is getting really old.

Yes, I read it. Saying statistics "don't make the case one way or the other" is a nonsense statement.

Ratings are down. You can draw a line on a graph. It's not one tournament, or one round.

I don't have to get ANY of you to agree with me. But I also am not going to sit here and read these fact-free posts that college hoops is more popular than ever, because it's clearly not.

 

[Orangezoo]

Yes, I read it. Saying statistics "don't make the case one way or the other" is a nonsense statement.

Ratings are down. You can draw a line on a graph. It's not one tournament, or one round.

I don't have to get ANY of you to agree with me. But I also am not going to sit here and read these fact-free posts that college hoops is more popular than ever, because it's clearly not.

And reading a chart vs doing actual analysis counts too. You found some charts and declared yourself correct. It’s comical at this point how bad you demand to be deemed correct. You won’t listen to anyone just parrot your same cherry picked thoughts and try to demand everyone takes your lazy analysis as fact.

You hate anything that isn’t 64 teams and that’s the end of it. Just own it.

 

[djcon57]

Yes, I read it. Saying statistics "don't make the case one way or the other" is a nonsense statement.

Ratings are down. You can draw a line on a graph. It's not one tournament, or one round.

I don't have to get ANY of you to agree with me. But I also am not going to sit here and read these fact-free posts that college hoops is more popular than ever, because it's clearly not.

Are television ratings overall down?

Could there be any other reasons tv ratings could be down other than just popularity of said sport?

Has any technology come within the last 10-20 years that would affect TV ratings?

 

[Orangezoo]

Are television ratings overall down?

Could there be any other reasons tv ratings could be down other than just popularity of said sport?

Has any technology come within the last 10-20 years that would affect TV ratings?

That would take doing more than reading a chart.