A year ago, 28.3 million viewers watched the men’s basketball tournament championship game on TV, according to the NCAA. It was an increase of 33% over the previous year, and the highest total in viewership in nearly two decades.
The upcoming 2016 championship game, on Monday, April 4, doesn’t have a prayer of topping last year’s ratings, and it’s not because Duke is already out of the tournament.
This year, for the first time in decades, neither the pair of Final Four games on Saturday night, nor the championship game on Monday, will be televised on a free broadcast network. Instead, according to a lucrative TV deal signed by the NCAA, Turner pay TV channels TBS, TNT, and truTV have exclusive rights to air the games—meaning a pay TV package is required to tune in.
While most fans are aware of the broadcasting schedule and have cable or satellite TV service with access to these channels, there are plenty of casual viewers who will be frustrated in searches for the games on TV. For them, March Madness will take on a different meaning.
It’s easy to understand why sports agree to deals with pay TV channels: They pull in billions in revenues. The problem is that such agreements are doing serious damage to fan relationships. And perhaps even worse, they hurt the sport down the road, leaving countless would-be fans in the dust because it’s impossible for them to get hooked on a game they can’t watch on TV.
In all likelihood, the ratings for the games coming this weekend on pay TV channels will break records for cable and yet be poor in comparison to games aired on one of the free major networks. And the NCAA has no one to blame but itself for fewer fans watching all of the action.
To read the full article visit Time where it was originally published
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
