Michigan-UConn averages 18.3 million viewers, becomes most-watched NCAA men's hoops championship in 7 years
The national title game featured two storied programs on the sport's grandest stage.
Michigan men’s basketball is celebrating its first national title since 1989. The last of the Wolverines’ 37 wins this season came against UConn in Indianapolis on Monday. Two storied programs went head-to-head in a hoops-loving city, and the result was the most-watched NCAA men’s basketball championship in seven years, according to numbers from Nielsen, which notably shifted to a new methodology last fall that couples its traditional panel with “Big Data” from smart TVs and set-top boxes.
During Michigan’s 69-63 triumph , an average of 18. 3 million viewers on TBS, TNT, truTV and HBO Max tuned in, the most the event’s seen since 2019 when Virginia’s overtime victory against Texas Tech drew 19. 6 million on CBS.
This year’s title game peaked with 20. 4 million viewers from 11-11:15 p. m.
ET. For reference, last year’s NCAA championship, which saw Florida rally to beat Houston on CBS, averaged 18. 1 million viewers but peaked with 21.