NCAA Tourney Scores Best 1st-Week Ratings in 17 Years

Viewership is up 14% year to year, with games spread across CBS and Turner channels as part of a new $10.8 billion rights package with the NCAA

As any good college basketball coach will tell you, the team scores more points when everyone shares the ball.

This is certainly proving true with college hoops' signature event, the NCAA Tournament, which was up 15 percent in total viewers  its first week for its highest performance in 17 years.

An average of 8.4 million viewers watched the preliminary-round games, which kicked off Wednesday and ended Sunday. (With the 68-team field more than quartered down, the tournament will continue Thursday with the remaning "Sweet 16" teams competing for the championship.)

After losing gobs of money on the the last few years as the exclusive broadcaster of so-called March Madness, CBS recently entered a new 14-year, $10.8

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