BTN Communications, March 19, 2024

The 2024 TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament set a new viewership mark on the Big Ten Network, averaging 674,000 viewers across eight broadcasts. That audience surpassed the 2022 men's basketball tournament average of 672,000 to become No. 1 in network history.

Additionally, Friday's quarterfinal matchup between Illinois and Ohio State delivered 1,126,000 viewers, making it the No. 2 basketball game in network history. The all-time record of 1.2 million viewers was set on March 11, 2022, in a Big Ten Men's Tournament game featuring Michigan State and Wisconsin.

BTN's top five all-time single game and average tournament audiences can be found below.

Top Five Average Tournament Audiences on BTN:

Tournament Average Viewership
2024 Men's Tournament (8 games) 674,000
2022 Men's Tournament (10 games) 672,000
2023 Men's Tournament (10 games) 647,000
2021 Men's Tournament (10 games) 529,000
2015 Men's Tournament (5 games) 509,000

 

Big Ten Network's Top Five Basketball Broadcasts:

Date Matchup Viewership
3/11/22 Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (MBBT) 1.19 M
3/15/24 Illinois vs. Ohio State (MBBT) 1.13 M
3/9/24 Iowa vs. Michigan (WBBT) 1.08 M
3/8/24 Iowa vs. Penn State (WBBT) 1.03 M
3/10/23 Indiana vs. Maryland (MBBT) 955,000

 

BTN's coverage of the 2023-24 men's basketball season averaged 248,000 viewers per game, a year-over-year increase of +9%, and good for the second most-watched men's basketball season in network history.

2023-24 regular season women's basketball coverage on the Big Ten Network averaged 101,000 viewers per broadcast, a year-over-year increase of +46%. The 2024 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament on BTN was up +141% year-over-year, averaging 361,000 viewers per game.

All viewership data is attributed to Nielsen Media Research.