Kansas victory in the most-watched men’s title game on cable TV

NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas’ comeback victory over North Carolina to win the NCAA basketball championship was the most-watched men’s title game on cable television.

The Jayhawks’ 72-69 win averaged 18.1 million viewers on TBS, TNT and truTV. It’s also a 4% increase from last year’s title match between Baylor and Gonzaga on CBS. It was the third time the championship match had been on Turner Networks, but the first since 2018. They were supposed to have the 2020 final, but the tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The entire tournament on CBS and Turner averaged 10.7 million viewers, a 13% increase from last year.

Kansas’ 16-point rally, which was the biggest comeback in championship game history, was also the third-most-watched college basketball game in cable TV history. Saturday’s semifinal between North Carolina and Duke, with an average of 18.5 million, ranks second. The 2015 semifinal between Wisconsin and Kentucky – also on Turner – is No. 1 (22.63 million).

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