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.
