NCAA tournament deal with CBS, Turner extended through 2032
The Indianapolis-based NCAA on Tuesday announced an eight-year, $8.8 billion extension of its March Madness deal with CBS Sports and the Turner Broadcasting System.
The Indianapolis-based NCAA on Tuesday announced an eight-year, $8.8 billion extension of its March Madness deal with CBS Sports and the Turner Broadcasting System.
The 77-74 thriller that ended with a three-point shot at the buzzer attracted 17.8 million total viewers on TNT, TBS and TruTv. That’s down from the 28.3 million who tuned in to the men’s college basketball title game a year ago.
When CBS jumped from WISH Channel 8 to WTTV-TV Channel 4 last year, the latter added another 24.5 hours. That move, plus a new ratings system, led to a tumultuous year for local TV broadcasters.
WISH’s Les Vann and WTTV/WXIN’s Kerri Cavanaugh received high-profile industry awards as their stations made major changes in 2015.
Next March's move from Indianapolis is intended to raise the profile of the session with more media exposure for the selection process.
The Aug. 2 broadcast of the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio drew 660,000 viewers, making it the most watched IndyCar race on NBC Sports Network since the open-wheel series signed its deal with the cable channel in 2008.
Upcoming changes in the way local TV viewing audiences are measured have local broadcasters and advertisers confused and concerned.
The race earned a 4.1 rating, averaging nearly 6.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen Fast National data.
The arms race in local TV news continues to escalate. WRTV-TV Channel 6 is the latest station to up the ante, with plans to launch a local one-hour news program at 4 p.m. branded “The Now” on April 20.
Duke University’s 68-63 comeback win over Wisconsin in Indianapolis on Monday night on CBS-TV drew a 17.1 overnight rating and 27 share.
The people behind locally produced “Pet Pals TV” launched a television show last month aimed at central Indiana baby boomers. “Boomer TV” is off to such a fast start, the show’s creators already have an eye on taking it national.
KH Complete Advertising has replaced the Indiana Fever's long-time advertising agency and is promising to ramp up ticket sales for the upcoming season. New TV ads and billboards are coming in March.
Despite losing its CBS affiliation Jan. 1, WISH remains No. 2 in the early evening news and No. 3 during the morning news. The station's late news ratings, however, are last in the market.
Propelled by the intrigue of watching Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning square off for perhaps the final time, Indy-area viewership of Sunday's playoff game easily bested first-round numbers for the Bengals contest.
The move will give Channel 8 network programming for its evening schedule after it loses its CBS affiliation at the end of the year.
WISH-TV Channel 8 and WTTV-TV Channel 4 are at the center of the biggest shakeup the Indianapolis TV market has seen in 35 years. But the ripple effects are expected to rock the boat of every local station.
The loss of Julie Patterson and Julie Zoumbaris comes as Channel 8 prepares for life without its CBS affiliation and tries to make long-term deals with advertisers.
Channel 6's affiliation agreement with ABC expires in January, but the station's owner, E.W. Scripps, has strong ties to the network and will be highly motivated to avoid a parting of ways.
Those changes are coming in the wake of Monday’s huge announcement that Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting, parent to WTTV, has wrestled away the CBS-TV affiliation held by WISH-TV Channel 8 since 1956.
TV ratings for the IndyCar Series zoomed 44 percent this year for the races leading up to the Indianapolis 500, compared to the same period a year ago, buoyed in part by a strong showing for the new Grand Prix of Indianapolis. But overall viewership remains anemic—less than one-fourth the audience for most NASCAR races.