48.1 Million Viewers Tune In to All-or-Part of Duke's Epic Win

Overall NCAA Tournament Average Up 5% from 2009

CBS Sports' exclusive coverage of the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship game on Monday, April 5 (9:15-11:41 PM, ET) scored in viewers as  Nielsen Media Research reports that 48.1 million viewers (Persons 2+) watched all-or-part of CBS Sports' coverage of Duke defeating Butler, an increase of +17% vs. 41.2 million in 2009 (North Carolina-Michigan State)

The 48.1 million viewers is the highest number of viewers to watch all-or-part of the Championship game in 13 years when 50.0 million tuned in for the game between Arizona and Kentucky in 1997.

            CBS Sports' broadcast of the Championship game earned an average fast national live + same day household rating/share of 14.2/23, up 31% from a 10.8/18 last year. The 14.2/23 is the highest rating since a 15.0/23 in 2005 (North Carolina-Illinois).

CBS Sports' overall tournament averaged a national household rating/share of a 6.0/13, up 5% compared to last year's 5.7/12. 

Nielsen Media Research reports that 134.3 millions viewers watched all-or-part of CBS Sports' coverage of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, up 4% from 128.9 million viewers last year. This year's 134.3 millions viewers is the highest number of viewers to watch all-or-part of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship on CBS since 141.7 million viewers in 2005.

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CBS Sports Contacts:  LeslieAnne Wade   lwade@cbs.com                 917-751-7693

                                    Jen Sabatelle           jsabatelle@cbs.com           917-576-2435

                                    Jerry Caraccioli      gwcaraccioli@cbs.com       212-975-7466