The NCAA basketball playoffs each Spring are not just a tournament—it’s a national event that commands attention across numerous screens. Every year, 70 million brackets are filled out, and millions of fans tune in, whether they are die-hard supporters, alumni, fantasy players, or casual viewers.
The 2024 tournaments broke records and set a new standard for engagement. For the first time, the women’s championship game outperformed the men’s, averaging 18.7 million viewers and peaking at 24 million. Meanwhile, the men’s final saw 14.82 million viewers, a 4 percent increase year-over-year.
The numbers across the entire tournament are just as strong. The men’s tournament averaged 9.9 million viewers across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, while digital streaming continues to grow, with 29 percent of fans using services like Hulu, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.
Viewership is climbing. Engagement is rising. Advertising demand is at an all-time high.
March tournaments generated more than $1 billion in ad revenue in 2024, and premium TV spots for the championship game sold between $2.2 million and $2.3 million. Earlier rounds commanded hundreds of thousands per 30-second spot, with major brands like Capital One, Coca-Cola, AT&T, The Home Depot, Marriott, Unilever, Reese’s, Buick, and Nissan securing premium placements well before tip-off.
For regional and local advertisers, it has historically been difficult to compete for visibility. Brkthru changes that.
How Brkthru Helps Advertisers Win during March Playoffs
Brkthru provides access for local and regional advertisers and their agencies during the NCAA tournament period to digital ad opportunities beyond just national TV, allowing advertisers to reach engaged audiences without having to compete with national brands at premium TV rates. Here’s how we do it:
- Multi-Platform Exposure, reaching fans wherever they consumer tournament content, through social media, YouTube, sports sites, and streaming platforms before, during, and after finalist and tournament games.
- Precision Targeting, connecting with specific fan bases, geographic regions, and key demographics based on audience behaviors and interests.
- Flexible Campaign Options, getting exposure during one of the most-watched sporting events of the year with strategic digital campaigns.
- Proven Engagement – college basketball tournament fans spend an average of 13 hours watching. This is the audience that is paying attention.
Brkthru provides customized digital advertising opportunities designed to get brands in front of highly engaged fans throughout the tournament. But, the NCAA tournament period is fast-moving, and ad inventory disappears quickly. So, now is the time to secure placement and get in front of this highly valuable audience.
Interested in how Brkthru can help your brand stand out during the NCAA playoffs? Let’s talk:
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