With March Madness in full swing and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament just around the corner, there appears to be a surge in viewership.
In fact, both Fox and CBS are raving about their numbers.
Fox and CBS Note Rise in College Basketball Viewership During March Madness Season
On Thursday, Front Office Sports’ account on X posted that viewership of men’s college basketball games was at record levels during the 2025-26 regular season.
“College basketball finished the regular season with record viewership,” Front Office Sports’ tweet read. “Fox tells FOS it recorded its most-watched men’s basketball regular season ever, while CBS saw its most-watched regular season in seven years.”
College basketball finished the regular season with record viewership.
Fox tells FOS it recorded its most-watched men’s basketball regular season ever, while CBS saw its most-watched regular season in seven years.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 12, 2026
With those record numbers, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is expected to attract even more viewers than usual. For now, fans are focused on conference tournaments leading up to Selection Sunday, scheduled for March 15.
Then the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will tip off Tuesday, March 17, with The First Four. In case college basketball fans have forgotten, The First Four is a play-in tournament that features four games that determine the final four teams that qualify for the 64-team bracket. This year, it takes place at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Which teams, though, as of Thursday night, might be in line for the No. 1 seeds? ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi, through his “Bracketology” breakdown, has the top four seeds as the Duke Blue Devils in the East, the Michigan Wolverines in the Midwest, the Florida Gators in the South, and the Arizona Wildcats in the West.
Could those top seeds change before Selection Sunday? It’s possible if one of those teams is upset in a conference tournament.
For college basketball fans looking to watch the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, those games will be carried by CBS Sports and Turner Sports. Specifically, CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV will have tournament games airing, starting with The First Four. Once those final four entry teams are decided, first-round games will air across those four networks.
March Madness has its own special kind of fever for college basketball fans. With the tournament’s path to the Final Four getting started, more fans will be tuning in to see if their favorite teams advance.
