• by Wayne Friedman , March 13, 2025

TV advertising sales in the NCAA “March Madness” event — the men’s college basketball tournament — is “virtually sold out,” according to Ryan Briganti, executive vice president and head of sports sales, Paramount Advertising.

Briganti adds: “This marketplace has picked up earlier than historically, drafting off of a strong sports marketplace out there.”

The three-week, 67-game event in March airs on Paramount Global’s CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT, TBS, and truTV — as well as streaming CTV and mobile platforms.

Executives did not provide financial details including price hikes. But Briganti adds: “It’s at the high end of where this marketplace is.” In addition, pacing of ad sales continues to be “earlier and earlier.”

“We are ahead of last year,” says Jon Diament, executive vice president, advertising sales, Warner Bros. Discovery, adding: “This program has upwards of 20 sponsors that support the tournament in a very big way. Up to 50% [of ad inventory] is sold to those partners way in advance.”

Briganti and Diament did not provide details about specific brands and sponsorship activity but said ad categories making sharp budget increases include pharmaceutical, retail, automotive, banking/financial services, and travel marketers.

Diament says the timing of this year’s deals includes a significant inventory sales bought in the previous year’s upfront summer ad marketplace. “We all know the importance of live sports,” he says.

The March spring period of the three-week event is good for advertisers, he adds. “It fits in the pocket between the upfront and scatter markets."

The games will air on four national television networks — TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV — with all games streamed on NCAA March Madness Live. Games airing on CBS will also stream live on Paramount+, while games airing on TBS, TNT and truTV will also stream live on Max.

A year ago, on the CBS Television Network, the “2024 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament” took in an estimated $410.6 million in national advertising sales, according to EDO Ad EnGage — coming from 729 airings and 12.1 billion impressions for the three week event.

Three WBD networks — TBS, TNT, and truTV — totaled $380.7 million in ad revenue. TBS had 685 airings, with 5.7 billion impressions, at $214.6 million, followed by TNT (430 airings, 3.8 billion impressions, $89.6 million) and truTV (707 airings, 2.4 billion. $76.5 million).