A vast audience watched the men's NCAA tournament bracket reveal on Sunday.
March Madness announced that Selection Sunday was the most-watched selection show since 2014. An average of 6.4 million viewers watched the CBS broadcast, up 12 percent from last year.
The show, which began at 6 p.m. ET, peaked at an average of 7.1 million viewers.
Men's March Madness preview
CBS Sports will aim for more boosted ratings when the first round kicks off on Thursday. No. 8 Ohio State begins the day against No. 9 TCU at 12:15 p.m. ET, with Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, and Grant Hill on the call.
Duke, a perennial title favorite, will look to avoid a massive upset against No. 16 Sienna at 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS. Later that evening, CBS will air a game between No. 1 Michigan and either UMBC or Howard, followed by Georgia facing St. Louis at Buffalo.
TNT, TBS, and TruTV will also each televise four games on Thursday. Houston begins its quest back to the National Championship Game against No. 15 Idaho, closing the evening on TruTV at 10:10 p.m. ET.
No. 7 Kentucky and No. 10 Santa Clara begin Friday's action with a 12:15 p.m. matinee on CBS, and No. 2 Iowa State will attempt to make a championship statement at Tennessee State's expense.
St. John's will follow a Big East championship by playing Northern Iowa at 7:10 p.m. Kevin Harlan will call that game and an ensuing showdown between No. 4 Kansas and No. 13 Cal Baptist, scheduled to start at 9:45 p.m. ET.
Stars like Darryn Peterson could draw more big viewership for CBS Sports. The potential No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft has averaged 19.8 points per game as a freshman for Bill Self's Jayhawks.
Duke's Cameron Boozer, BYU's AJ Dybantsa, and North Carolina big man Cameron Wilson are among the other big names for fans to watch in action this week.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.