NCAA Tournament Delivers Record-Setting Multi-Platform Video Consumption

NCAA March Madness Live, managed by Turner Sports, generated record-setting video streams and engagement across all digital platforms for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.  Across online and mobile (tablets and smart phones) platforms, NCAA March Madness Live garnered 49 million live video streams, up 168% vs. 2012, and more than 14 million hours of live video consumed – both all-time records.

In partnership between the NCAA, Turner Sports and CBS Sports, NCAA March Madness Live was launched from www.ncaa.com/marchmadness, www.cbssports.com, and www.bleacherreport.com, and was available via the App Store and Google Play.

The NCAA March Madness Live app has ranked No. 1 as the top sports app in the App Store and Google Play during the tournament.  It was also the No. 1 free app across all categories in the App Store.

Highlights throughout the tournament include:

Live Video Streams
Across all digital platforms, NCAA March Madness Live generated a record-setting 49 million live video streams throughout the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, up 168% compared with 2012.  NCAA March Madness Live registered 18.3 million live video streams for the entire tournament last year.

The 2013 NCAA Tournament recorded more than 14 million hours of live video streaming, which represented a 207% increase from 2012.

Across broadband, 5.8 million unique visitors watched live video, an increase of 170% versus the entire 2012 tournament (2.1 million).  The mobile app had 3.4 million unique visitors watch live video, up 109% over the entire tournament last year (1.6 million).

Throughout the tournament, 105 minutes of live video was consumed per user on broadband – an increase of 8% compared with the entire 2012 tournament – and 70 minutes of video was viewed per user on mobile (tablets and smartphones), an increase of 66% vs. the complete tournament last year.

Mobile Usage Growth
Mobile (tablets and smartphones) platforms experienced significant growth in live viewing minutes when compared with last year’s tournament.  Mobile phone viewing minutes were up 309% over 2012 and tablet consumption was up 194%.

Over the first two weeks of the tournament, mobile’s share of live video consumption grew from a 49% average on Thursdays and Fridays to a 61% average on Saturdays and Sundays.

Through the first two weeks, mobile’s share of live viewing minutes accounted for 26% of viewing minutes on Thursdays and Fridays compared to an average of 31% on Saturdays and Sundays.

Most Popular Games
The most watched games across digital platforms during the 2013 NCAA Tournament, based on live video streams:

Valparaiso vs. Michigan State – 1,844,000

Bucknell vs. Butler – 1,784,000

Mississippi vs. Wisconsin – 1,778,000

Michigan vs. Louisville – 1,620,000

Albany vs. Duke – 1,488,000

Social Media
The 2013 NCAA Tournament generated 16.3 million comments across social media outlets, an increase of 112% over last year.

The National Championship netted more than 3.5 million comments, up 144% over 2012, to become the most-discussed show on TV from March 19 through April 8.

Additionally, the Final Four semifinal games on Saturday, April 6, garnered 1.4 million comments, up +16% over 2012.