Record ratings: The NCAA Tournament had its best first week on record, averaging 10.1 million viewers through the second round across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Tournament viewership is up 7% from last year, according to Nielsen. The first round on Thursday and Friday averaged 9.5 million viewers—a 9% increase—while the second round on Saturday and Sunday averaged 11 million. That is the most-viewed second round since 1993 and a 7% jump from last year. Read more from the Associated Press.
On the rise: U.S. mortgage rates climbed for a third straight week, pushing home financing costs to their highest point since October and dealing a blow to both purchasing and refinancing activity. The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage rose 13 basis points to 6.43% in the week ended March 20, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday. In the last three weeks, the rate has climbed 34 basis points, the most since November 2024. Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be required.
Competitive edge: Gap is partnering with Google’s Gemini to allow shoppers to check out directly within the AI platform, making it the first major fashion company to work directly with the tech company to fuel agentic commerce. The partnership comes as more and more shoppers move away from traditional search and toward artificial intelligence platforms for product discovery, forcing retailers to rethink their approach to marketing to ensure they’re staying competitive and not missing out on customer demand. Read more from CNBC.
