A 44th place finish by Tiger Woods is still better than no Tiger at all, as evidenced by the massive increase in overnight ratings for the Farmers Insurance Open.
Final round coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open drew a 3.7 overnight rating on CBS Sunday afternoon, up 54% from last year (2.4), and up 76% from 2009 (2.1).
The 3.7 overnight is the highest for final round coverage of the event since 2008, the last time Tiger Woods won (4.6).
Woods finished in a tie for 44th place this year, after missing the 2009 and 2010 editions of the tournament.
Sunday’s telecast finished behind the Pro Bowl on FOX (8.6) and Celtics/Lakers on ABC (5.0), but topped ABC’s Heat/Thunder game (3.1).
On Saturday, third round action drew a 2.5 overnight, up 47% from last year (1.7), and up 67% from 2009 (1.5). As with final round coverage, Saturday’s telecast drew the highest overnight since 2008 (3.2).
The increases for CBS’ weekend coverage come on the heels of The Golf Channel hitting a network high for its first round coverage of the event.
(CBS press release from TV By the Numbers)
