BTN.com staff, January 27, 2014
CHICAGO - Two of last week?s conference matchups pitting two Top 10 teams against hungry foes resulted in BTN?s top-rated ?Super Wednesday? in its history in the network?s eight metered markets.* ?Super Wednesdays? are the network?s nine straight weeks of basketball doubleheaders.
BTN earned a 1.5 rating on the night, surpassing the network?s prior best ?Super Wednesday? on Jan. 30, 2013, of 1.42.
Michigan (No. 21 AP/No. 25 USA Today Coaches Poll) upset Iowa (No. 10 AP/No. 10 Coaches) 75-67, while upstart Minnesota beat Wisconsin (No. 9 AP/No. 8 Coaches) 81-68.
?The strength of the Big Ten Conference has fans dialed into their basketball teams and fueling our growth,? said BTN President Mark Silverman.
Through the first 12 weeks of the season, BTN has aired 43 games featuring teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll, including 26 with teams ranked in the top 10 and 17 ranked in the top 5. In all, BTN will air more than 105 men?s basketball games this season.
*Source: Nielsen Arianna Overnights. Metered Markets: Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis