Ratings Busted?

Thanks to Northern Iowa, I won't be winning my NCAA tournament bracket pool this year. But if history holds true, CBS lost even more.

In 2008, the last time there were a lot of early round upsets, ratings were way down for the second weekend of the tournament. Apparently even though the upsets make for exciting television, if they kill your bracket then you check out.

It's not surprising. How many people are going to turn in for a Northern Iowa v Purdue final if they don't have a chance to win any money? My guess is fewer than would watch Duke v Syracuse.

As parity becomes more of a reality in college basketball, CBS is going to have to figure out a way to keep people tuned in when the favorites fall early in the tournament. Otherwise they're going to continue to see ratings and revenue decline.