- ESPN Networks See Increased Viewership Through More Than 340 Games This Season
The thrilling matchup between No. 5 Kansas and No. 12 Oklahoma (Tuesday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. ET), delivered a Nielsen total live audience of 1,567,000 viewers, making the key Big 12 conference matchup, as part of Super Tuesday presented by Boost Mobile, ESPN’s most-watched weekday conference game of the season. The telecast peaked with 2,466,000 viewers (9 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.), as the Sooners jumped ahead to defeat the Jayhawks.
Midseason report
ESPN has aired five of the top 10 men’s college basketball games of the season to date across all networks and dayparts, and nine of the top 10 weekday games. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, combined, have aired the top 93 most-viewed men’s college basketball games on cable, and increased its average audience per game from last year’s average through 348 games.
College hoops action on ESPN continues with marquee matchups throughout the next month, including this weekend’s Big 12/SEC Challenge (Saturday, Jan. 27), and three Sonic Blockbuster matchups on ESPN – No. 7 West Virginia at No. 12 Oklahoma on February 5, as part of Big Monday (9 p.m.), No. 4 Duke at No. 10 UNC on Thursday, Feb. 8 (8 p.m.) and No. 3 Purdue at No. 6 Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 10 (4:15 p.m.).
Local Eyes
Louisville remains the top market for college hoops, averaging a 4.3 rating, with Kansas City, Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro and Indianapolis rounding out the top five.
| Rank | Market | Rating |
| 1 | Louisville | 4.3 |
| 2 | Kansas City | 2.3 |
| 3 | Raleigh-Durham | 2.2 |
| 4 | Greensboro-High Point | 2.0 |
| 5 | Indianapolis | 1.8 |
| 6 | Charlotte | 1.6 |
| Knoxville | 1.6 | |
| Cincinnati | 1.6 | |
| 9 | Nashville | 1.4 |
| 10 | Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News | 1.3 |
| Richmond | 1.3 |
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