Yesterday Hulu gave an in-depth look at how March Madness went on their new live TV streaming service. According to Hulu Live TV, college basketball viewership spiked 67% during the tournament compared to the regular season. The total amount of college basketball hours watched jumped 235% during the first week of the tournament on Hulu.
Hulu also said that 45% of college basketball fans watched games during work hours between 10 am and 7 pm Eastern.
The Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, Michigan Wolverines, Kentucky Wildcats, and Kansas Jayhawks were the top five most favorited teams on Hulu’s personalized March Madness experience.
Hulu’s end-of-season top 25 (popularity of teams chosen by viewers in Hulu’s March Madness experience) is:
- Duke Blue Devils
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Michigan Wolverines
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Michigan State Spartans
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Villanova Wildcats
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Arizona Wildcats
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Xavier Musketeers
- Florida Gators
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Texas Longhorns
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Tennessee Volunteers
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- Syracuse Orange
- UCLA Bruins
- Miami Hurricanes
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Clemson Tigers
- Cincinnati Bearcats
Some other fun facts:
- Blue blood basketball schools drove the most interest and three of the top picks include three of the Elite Eight (Duke, Michigan, Kansas).
- During the regular college basketball season, the North Carolina Tar Heels scored the most total hours watched among Hulu Live TV viewers.
- A rivalry continued…the Kentucky Wildcats took the number one spot for the highest total hours viewed per Hulu Live TV viewer during the regular season. Coming in as a close second was their rival, the Louisville Cardinals, who lost the battle for the most passionate fan base.