
Michigan's 69-63 victory over Connecticut on Monday night averaged 18.3 million viewers on TBS, TNT, truTV and HBO Max, according to Nielsen, making it the most-watched men's NCAA Tournament final since 2019. That year, Virginia defeated Texas Tech in overtime on CBS.
The audience for Michigan's first title since 1989 peaked at 20.4 million for the conclusion between 11-11:15 p.m. EDT. It was a 23% increase from the 2024 final on TNT. CBS and TNT started alternating the Final Four in 2016. This was the fifth time TNT had the final.