NEW YORK (AP) - CBS Sports and Turner Sports say viewership of the NCAA men's basketball tournament is the highest since 1993.
The two networks, which share coverage of the tournament, released Nielsen numbers on Monday after the conclusion of the opening weekend of the tournament. The event averaged 9.227 million total viewers, which is up 4 percent from the same weekend last year, according to Nielsen.
The 5.9 rating averaged in U.S. households through the first six days is the highest number in 17 years, dating to the 5.9 scored in 1998.
The games have been broadcast across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, and viewership has climbed through every round.
Coverage resumes with the regional semifinals on Thursday and Friday.
