We’re a long way from the ritual cutting down of the nets. But strong television audiences for the NCAA’s 2023 Men and Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Shows indicate viewer interest is high heading into March Madness.

Both one-hour Selection Shows grabbed higher TV audiences on Sunday night vs. last year.

CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ joint presentation of the Men’s Selection Show averaged 5.1 million viewers. 

That’s up 3% from last year’s program. It was the most-watched sports program for the week across any network.

The digital NCAA March Madness Live also grew, attracting its most unique users, hours watched, and video starts in four years.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Women’s Selection Show presentation averaged 1.27 million viewers. That’s up a strong 18% from last year. It was the most-watched since 2005. It also validated ESPN’s decision to shift the show from Monday nights to Sunday nights in 2022.

Starting with tonight’s First Four coverage, CBS and WBD Sports will show all 67 games of the Men’s Tournament across four TV networks – CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV – and March Madness Live. 

ESPN, meanwhile, will show all 67 games of the Women’s Tournament across multiple channels, including sister Disney broadcast network ABC. 

Viewership for last year’s Women’s Tournament rose 76%, according to ESPN.

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