The NCAA college men’s basketball tournament proved to be a ratings hit for Paramount Global’s broadcast network CBS this year, and it also helped lift ratings for some multicast networks carried on the digital signals of its major market TV stations, according to Nielsen data viewed by The Desk.
Comet saw its audience increase 58 percent in four major cities where CBS carries the multicast network — New York, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco — as measured during a two-hour window that started at 11 p.m. Eastern Time, the Nielsen data showed. The network offers sci-fi and thriller shows like “The X-Files,” “Stargate SG-1” and “Grimm.”
Charge, which airs repeats of police procedurals, saw its audience rise by 326 percent in Dallas, where the network is carried by KTVT (Channel 11), while comedy-focused TBD (rebranding soon to Roar) saw its audience rise 306 percent in Philadelphia after sports fans were done watching the game on KYW (Channel 3).
A source familiar with Sinclair’s programming said Comet, Charge and TBD were running regular programming after the NCAA championship game ended, and attributed the lift to viewers sampling around the broadcast dial for something else to watch. The data viewed by The Desk compares the April 7 audience for each of the three networks with their average daily audiences throughout the entire month of March. (CBS attracted 18.1 million viewers to its championship game between Florida and Houston, according to Nielsen data, up 22 percent compared to 2024.)
Over the past two years, executives at Sinclair have been focused on inking distribution deals that move its four multicast networks — the aforementioned three, and a reality-based channel called The Nest — in closer proximity to major ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations and affiliates on the broadcast dial.
That strategy is part of a broader play to drive attention to Sinclair’s channels during major events when more Americans are likely to be watching broadcast TV — and, so far, data from Nielsen shows the strategy is working.
In February, TBD saw its ratings climb by 96 percent in the hours before Super Bowl LIX in markets where Fox-owned local TV stations carry the network. TBD revamped its programming schedule that day with repeat broadcasts of “Saturday Night Live” that had cursory connections to the Super Bowl; the network aired an episode of SNL that featured Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as a host, and another where the musical guest was Kendrick Lamar, who performed at the Super Bowl halftime show.
One month before the Super Bowl, Sinclair multicast networks saw a boost in viewership after the AFC Championship game on CBS and the NFC Championship game on Fox, which determined the teams that would play in the Super Bowl. In four key markets where Fox carries TBD, the network saw a 229 percent lift in audience in the first hour after the NFC Championship game. Likewise, in some markets where CBS offers Comet, the network’s audience jumped 168 percent in the first hour after the AFC Championship game.
It isn’t just major sporting events that is helping Sinclair’s multicast ratings: Two months ago, a 50-hour marathon block of Saturday Night Live juiced TBD’s ratings by 166 percent when compared to its usual average audience this year. The marathon ended immediately before NBC began airing its 50th anniversary special for Saturday Night Live on the East Coast.
