The first two days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament have become like national holidays in American culture. Plenty of fans took PTO or ended up “sick” on the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament so they could plant themselves in front of multiscreens to tune into basketball for over 12 hours each day.
It appears that fans were even more excited for this year’s first round as CBS Sports and TNT announced on Monday that this year broke viewership records on the first day of the tournament. It’s officially the best first March Madness day on record for viewership as the networks saw an average of 9.8 million people tuning in to the games last Thursday. This number is up six percent from last year. This number includes viewership from CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV.
Additionally, the primetime window led by the Michigan win over Howard and the VCU upset of UNC averaged 12.5 million viewers, which is the most-watched window in the first round on record.
CBS Sports and TNT Sports Deliver the Most-Watched NCAA Tournament First Round Opening Day Ever
— March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 23, 2026
🏀Thursday’s games averaged 9.8 million viewers, the best opening day on record
🏀Primetime window averaged 12.5 million viewers, the most-watched First Round window ever pic.twitter.com/loEB0p4btd
The viewership averages continue to grow year over year. Last year, CBS Sports and TNT saw an average of 9.1 million viewers on day one of the tournament, which was up six percent from 2024.
How this year’s March Madness viewership compares to previous years
CBS and TNT began showing all of the March Madness games back in 2011, meaning this year’s average mark on the first day of the tournament is the best start in 15 years of registering the viewership numbers.
Here’s a look at the opening day numbers in the past four years.
| Year | Average Viewership | Difference from Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9.8 million | +6% |
| 2025 | 9.1 million | +6% |
| 2024 | 8.5 million | +1% |
| 2023 | 8.4 million | +2% |
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
- College Basketball’s Coaching Carousel: Tracking the Hirings, Firings and Rumored Moves
- Cinderella Is Officially Dead; Sweet 16 Is Loaded | Others Receiving Votes
- Dan Hurley Still Coaching UConn, Not Lakers, in Part Thanks to Tom Izzo’s Friendly Advice
- Reseeding the Sweet 16: Ranking Every Team Left in Men’s March Madness
- Coach K Offers Funny Reponse to Rick Pitino Bringing Up Christian Laettner’s Iconic Shot
This article was originally published on www.si.com as CBS, TNT Announce Record-Setting Viewership for Opening Round of March Madness.
