Quantifying March Madness

For the first time in Fort Wayne media history, we know what people are watching on television during the month of March. Nielsen moved the February 2009 sweeps period to March because of the digital transition, which was originally scheduled for February 17. Although this transition date was moved to June, the March 2009 sweeps period remained as scheduled. This gives us a glimpse of television viewership to which we have never had access. Most importantly, this change gives us actual ratings for the first rounds of the NCAA tournament on WANE-TV and allows us to more accurately project ratings for future tournaments.

As expected, March Madness delivered solid ratings in the Fort Wayne market. Here is a snapshot of how the NCAA performed:

NCAA Ratings on WANE-TV (Source: Nielsen March 2009, Adults 18+)

Event - Date - Time – Rating/Share
1st Round Games - 3/19-3/20 - 12p-5p – 6.5/54
1st Round Games - 3/19-3/20 - 7p-12a – 9.5/29
2nd Round Games - 3/21-3/22 - 12p-10p – 8.7/36
Regional Semifinals - 3/26-3/27 - 7p-12a – 9.5/29
Regional Finals - 3/28-3/29 - 230p-9p – 11/42

As Nielsen explains: “A rating is a percent of the universe that is being measured, most commonly discussed as a percent of all television households. As such, a rating is always quantifiable, assuming you know the size of the universe (TV households, persons, women 18 – 34, and so forth). A share is the percent of households or persons using television at the time the program is airing and who are watching a particular program. Thus, a share does not immediately tie back to an actual number, because it is a percent of a constantly changing number–TV sets in use. Shares can be useful as a gauge of competitive standing.”

--Tessa G.