As CBS readies to begin its coverage of The Masters, ratings are finally trending in the right direction for the PGA on broadcast.
Last Sunday’s Shell Houston Open drew a 2.3/5 final rating on NBC, up 53% from a 1.5/3 for final round coverage of the same event last year. The 53% increase is the largest of the season for a PGA Tour telecast on broadcast.
This marks the third time in four events that ratings have increased for final round coverage of PGA Tour events — a substantial turnaround, considering that four of the first five events of the season saw declines of at least 24% for final round coverage.
Through 11 events, CBS and NBC are averaging a 1.9 rating for third and final round coverage of PGA Tour events, down 14% from a 2.3 for the same events last year. Final round coverage has averaged a 2.4 rating, down 8% from a 2.6 last year. Neither average includes final round coverage of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was rained out.
Ratings for third and final round coverage of PGA Tour events in ’09.
Excludes final round coverage of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am
| Date | Time | Net | Event | Round | Rtg | vs. ’08 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., 1/31/09 | 3:00 PM | CBS | FBR Open | Third |
1.2
|
-33% |
| Sun., 2/1/09 | 3:00 PM | CBS | FBR Open | Final |
1.3
|
-43% |
| Sat., 2/7/09 | 3:00 PM | CBS | Buick Invitational | Third |
1.2
|
-56% |
| Sun., 2/8/09 | 3:00 PM | CBS | Buick Invitational | Final |
2.0
|
-52% |
| Sat., 2/14/09 | 3:00 PM | CBS | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | Third |
1.3
|
-24% |
| Sat., 2/21/09 | 3:00 PM | CBS | Northern Trust Open | Third |
1.7
|
-11% |
| Sun., 2/22/09 | 3:00 PM | CBS | Northern Trust Open | Final |
3.3
|
32% |
| Sat., 2/28/09 | 2:00 PM | NBC | WGC Accenture Match Play Championship | Third |
1.4
|
-50% |
| Sun., 3/1/09 | 2:00 PM | NBC | WGC Accenture Match Play Championship | Final |
1.9
|
-37% |
| Sat., 3/7/09 | 3:00 PM | NBC | Honda Classic | Third |
1.2
|
-14% |
| Sun., 3/8/09 | 2:00 PM | NBC | Honda Classic | Final |
1.5
|
-29% |
| Sat., 3/14/09 | 2:00 PM | NBC | WGC-CA Championship | Third |
1.9
|
0% |
| Sun., 3/15/09 | 3:00 PM | NBC | WGC-CA Championship | Final |
3.4
|
13% |
| Sat., 3/21/09 | 3:00 PM | NBC | Transitions Championship | Third |
1.2
|
-20% |
| Sun., 3/22/09 | 3:03 PM | NBC | Transitions Championship | Final |
1.7
|
-11% |
| Sat., 3/28/09 | 2:30 PM | NBC | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Third |
2.5
|
25% |
| Sun., 3/29/09 | 2:30 PM | NBC | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Final |
4.4
|
26% |
| Sat., 4/4/09 | 2:00 PM | NBC | Shell Houston Open | Third |
1.2
|
9% |
| Sun., 4/5/09 | 3:01 PM | NBC | Shell Houston Open | Final |
2.3
|
53% |
| |
1.9
|
-14% | ||||
