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March Madness Good to CBS

Early returns from March Madness has shown the tournament still has its hold on America. Ticket sales have been down slightly from last year, slightly to significantly to not at all depending on the site. for a total of being off perhaps 5% to 10%. Much of that can be attributable to the economy. For most fans, attendance at the first two rounds involves travel and several days worth of hotels and restaurants not to mention that the NCAA only sells tournament tickets in full weekend packages - there are no single game or single session tickets to be had without dealing with a scalper, legal (StubHub) or illegal (street vendor).

Television ratings tell a different story. Early ratings have CBS execs smiling as the tournament is registering a 9% increase in viewers. Its online viewership is showing monumental increases, with CBS claiming that March Madness On Demand registered a 56% increases in unique visitors to the site and a 65% increase in total video and audio streaming consumed at the site. In addition, on the first day alone, there were 1.5 million clicks on the "Boss" button that changes the screen from the streaming game to an image resembling an Excel spreadsheet. All in all, good news for CBS and its advertisers in a season when they certainly could use some.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on March 23, 2009 (boomark / email).