2013 NCG Ratings Highest Since 2005

Submitted by MGoSoftball on

Today, as I drove up I-75 with my car decked out in my M gear, I kept a close eye on that pesky roving M-Hater called the ohio State Trooper.  I was anxious to get home to collect more data on the game.  It was reported in the second half that the NCG attendance was 74,000+: an all time record.  I could not help but wonder if there was a direct correlation to Michigan being in the NCG.  

The crowd was probably 40/60 Maize to Red.  I commented to a Cards fan that I was surprised that more Card fans did not attend the game since L'Ville was so close (compared to AA).  He responded, "This is all of us.  UL has a little over 20,000 Students and the Alumni dont care about the school after they leave.  It is not like UM at all."

I was very interested in the TV ratings.  I have posted previosly that M Football has the highest TV ratings of any team during bowl games.  I wondered if the M Magic carried over into basketball as well.  Nielson reported today that the TV ratings were the highest since 2005.

The 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship has delivered the best overall tournament-to-date ratings since 2005. The overall tournament average-to-date rating/share is a 6.4/13, up 8% fromlast year’s 5.9/12. The 6.4/13 is the highest average rating for the NCAA Tournament through the Final Four in eight years (6.6/14; 2005).

I guess the M Magic is omnipresence.  We certainly love our teams.

Blazefire

April 9th, 2013 at 10:49 PM ^

The Big Ten / SEC footprint is unlike anywhere else in the country, as I understand it. Other schools' alumni rarely become greatly involved in their school's athletic bases after graduation. ALmost nobody who did not actually attend that school cares more than two whits about their performance except maybe on gameday itself. Nobody who didn't attend that school would ever think to become a fan, at least not the kind that learns as much or more about the teams than any alumni, and attends events with fervor.

It's so alien to me. I just can't imagine it, but I'm given to understand that most of the country is in fact like that.

MGoSoftball

April 9th, 2013 at 11:00 PM ^

agree that the East Coast certainly does not care about college sports.  I wonder what the BTN sees in Rutgers and Maryland that the rest of the county sees.  This will be the first time that East coast college sports will be highlighted on a major scale.

bluenyc

April 10th, 2013 at 8:32 AM ^

I think they see potential.  They are hoping Rutgers has another season like the mid 2000's.  Rutgers alums came out of the wood work.  I had no idea that my former boss went to Rutgers and a secondary manager went to b-school there.  Once they started badly, they disappeared again.  But NYC was a buzz for Rutgers football for that one season. 

If you are Delaney, you want the NYC market.  Only way to get it is to get ND and maybe Syracuse.

BlueCE

April 9th, 2013 at 11:05 PM ^

Definitely true, I live out in California and my friend who is a huge Cal alum and fan told me today how fandom for Cal is nothing compared to Michigan.  Even UCLA and USC do not have the same wide support from the community, fans and alumns that Michigan does.

Tapin

April 10th, 2013 at 9:48 AM ^

I live in the Bay Area, and my older sister went to Boston College for undergrad and Stanford for medical school.  I've never heard her mention Stanford sports a single time.

Oddly enough, the biggest Stanford fan I know is a Michigan alum (and fan) who went to Stanford for his post-grad.  Perhaps he learned his fandom in the midwest and just carried it over.

snarling wolverine

April 9th, 2013 at 10:57 PM ^

It was reported in the second half that the NCG attendance was 74,000+: an all time record. I could not help but wonder if there was a direct correlation to Michigan being in the NCG.

I don't think so. The national championship game will always sell out. What's changed is that in the last couple of years they've gone to a new configuration at domed stadiums, where the court is in the center of the stadium instead of the corner, allowing for more seats.

But the TV ratings are definitely a factor of us being there.

MGoSoftball

April 9th, 2013 at 11:07 PM ^

sure what you are saying?  What dont you "think so" about?

The attendance was 74,000+ last night.  Wiki says the capacity is 71,000+.  I bet there were 2,000-3,000 empty seats in the upper bowl.  

I also told the Card Fan that we pack in 30,000 students for a home football game and 70,000 "Alumni, Faculty and Friends" as Carl would say.  At first he thought I was boasting but I reminded  him the capacity at the Big House is 109,901 and we always pack 4,000 or so more, especially if it is ohio or ND.

Bryan

April 9th, 2013 at 11:55 PM ^

Is the largest venue the Final Four has been held. He's saying that since the event has been set up with the floor in the center of the field (or football configuration) the Georgia Dome was able to accommodate more fans than when held in Detroit, Indy, Houston or NOLA.



Next year, I would bet that JerryWorld will shatter this year's record.

Wolverine Devotee

April 9th, 2013 at 10:58 PM ^

Highest attendance at a national championship game of all-time. I'm sure that will be broken at Cowboys Stadium next year though. 

What a dream that would be. Back to back Final Fours. And then maybe some more...

Ah shit. Season hasn't even been over for 24 hours and I'm already searching the internet for little details on next seasons schedule. Crazy, I'm craving 2013-14 basketball with the spring game Saturday. Just goes to show how much of an impact and a legacy this team will leave behind. 

Mr. Yost

April 9th, 2013 at 11:10 PM ^

Just have to have a good team and make the big dance.

Obviously you need have have a good year in the regular season, but in the B1G, finish in the top 6 and you're pretty much in. We should do that next year.

I'm more excited to see how the team is actually playing. "How good is our good?" is what I want to know.

The reason why people were so frustrated at the end of THIS season is because we all knew how "good" our "good" was. We all knew that if we played like we did during the tournament all year...we lose @IU and @MSU...that's it. Maybe in the B1G Tournament semi's or finals.

That's 3 losses.

Next year I'm most excited about figured out how good we can actually be. It all starts with who comes back. But assuming we lose Burke and THJ and return everyone else (including Morgan) then we should be in decent shape. We'll have a new look, but we might be able to snag a similar record and seed. At that point it's just about what is your best and can you play it for 6 games straight.

This year's team IMO was as good as those UNC teams that won championships in the '00's...we just weren't as consistent. We played as good as those teams for long stretches during the tournament and got all the way to the finals.

Hopefully next year can have an equally high ceiling. It'll all depend on the freshman.

Wisconsin Wolverine

April 10th, 2013 at 8:48 AM ^

Watching this tournament has made me want to go shoot a basketball, just to see the arching trajectory again and hear the sounds of the ball rattling home, swishing through the net, and (more often than not) clanking off the irons uselessly.  This team has helped me regain a huge appreciation for the aesthetic of the sport.

TheGhostofYost

April 9th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^

That doesn't make up for the fact that fan interest and ratings for this college basketball season were down yet again.  If John Adams refuses to clean up the game, it's going to keep going down too.

Jehu the Damaja

April 9th, 2013 at 11:21 PM ^

Well, our alumni (along with a huge number of non) support the shit out of the University. And when the team is good, be it football or basketball, people will watch. And we just fuckin' rock, so there's that reason too.

mjw

April 9th, 2013 at 11:30 PM ^

The numbers in the OP are for the whole tournament, not the NCG.  The NCG numbers (link) are even more impressive, up 18%, with a 14.3/23 rating share against last year's 12.3/19.  Average viewership was up 12% from 20.9m to 23.4m. 

quigley.blue

April 10th, 2013 at 7:02 AM ^

So has anyone on this here blog ever been asked by Nielsen to participate in their sampling?  or know anyone that has?  Just curious.  I have heard various criticisms of sampling techniques and bias in the results along the lines of entertainment preference and demographic.

LSAClassOf2000

April 10th, 2013 at 7:08 AM ^

...there's a specific focus on the 18-49 demographic for the NGC, and the numbers are rather interesting (LINK).

On the scoreboard they give, CBS had a 5.5/14 in the 18-49 demographic and 4.7/14 in the more focused 18-34 range for over 15 million viewers in that group (I assume the larger range).

It also shows the 9:30 PM to 11:00 PM block specifically on CBS getting a 7.5/19 in the 18-49 group, or over 20 million viewers. 

 

Smash Lampjaw

April 10th, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^

from Monday noon through last night in the air transport system, due to the Colorado storm, wearing my M gear. Before and after the game, I was dumbfounded by the amount of support I received from strangers all across the country. There is something special about Michigan, for sure. Of about 200 people packed into a Denver airport bar, all but 2 cheered loudly for Michigan. I felt like I was among friends.

mGrowOld

April 10th, 2013 at 9:42 AM ^

Here in Northern Ohio I got a steady stream of "you guys got screwed" as well as "I nver thought I'd EVER root for MIchigan but I sure did last night" comments here at the office.  Last night at my gym I was festooned in M garb from head to toe and all the people wearing OSU gear were giving me thumbs up, smiles and great game type asides.

Nobody gave me any shit whatsoever and everyone I've encountered has been supportive and encouraging.  My guess is that 50% were just pro B1G people and 50% just flat out liked our team.  They are an easy team to like!

WingsNWolverines

April 10th, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^

impressive as a lot of them were wanting a B10 team to win the national title despite that team being Michigan. A good amount of Sparty fans were pulling for us too. However after the loss the green and white goons came out trolling in full force on twitter and facebook and even here. Ugh.

MGoGrendel

April 10th, 2013 at 9:46 AM ^

from my Sparty and Ohio friends. "What a great game!" is a common theme. I was surprised how many non M or L fans stayed up til midnight to watch the whole game.

MGoSoftball

April 10th, 2013 at 8:49 PM ^

vantage point in the upper bowl, it looked to me like a 60/40 split.  Either way, UL had more Red than we had Maize.  Although, we had more "air time" during TV timeouts.  The big screen had our band, student section and Fab FIve more than UL.

Their student section was quiet and lame.  Ours were jumping until the end.  I was asked why I dont sit in the student section?  My answer was I cant jump like that anymore.

Perkis-Size Me

April 10th, 2013 at 10:39 AM ^

Amazing to see how much of an impact this tournament run has had on the school's, as well as the alumni's, overall commitment to the basketball team. People are already getting hyped on the start of next season. Basketball is no longer just something to keep us occupied while football is in the offseason.

CRISPed in the DIAG

April 10th, 2013 at 10:47 AM ^

I have the unscientific impression that we were the people's champion this year for a couple reasons: 1) our team was entertaining due to its offesively-oriented play, 2) we had recognizable names - the POY, McGary, NBA legacies, 3) the "M" brand is recognizable to average fans, and 4) most pundits seemed to agree yesterday that we were the victim of unskilled officiating. Unfortunately for Louisville, the viewing public appeared to tire of the Kevin Ware story and I don't feel a lot of love - respect, maybe - for Rick Pitino or any of their anonymous players.

On the other hand, I'm expecting a new anti-Fab 5 backlash any moment now.  If it hasn't already occured.

gwkrlghl

April 10th, 2013 at 10:51 AM ^

We looked pretty darn cool in that game so I'm glad so many people saw it. It's rare that I feel like we're the cool guys out there, but Burke, THJ's slam, GRIII's oop, McGary, etc all made me feel like we looked like the cool team. Maybe not significant, but I liked it

JD_UofM_90

April 10th, 2013 at 12:27 PM ^

I can't even image trying to watch the game from the upper levels of the stadium.  I remember back in the day at UofM, Kroger had a giveaway, buy a 12 pack of pop, get a free ticket to an upcoming Pistons/Boston game at the Silverdome.  So, we bought some "pop", piled in the car and made a road trip to the game.  The court was wedged into the corner there and the free tickets were up in the upper deck / nose bleed section way and off to the side of the court.  It looked like tiny little Bill Lambeer and McCale ants running around down on the court.  At the time, it was a record for attendence at a basketball game, something over 60,000.  It was crazy, we had subs (from Kroger).....