Final ratings for the conclusion of the WGC Match Play were the second-lowest in the past 14 years.
The semifinals and finals of the WGC Match Play Championship earned a 1.5 final rating and 2.1 million viewers on NBC last Sunday, down 17% in ratings and 16% in viewership from last year opposite the Olympics on CBS (1.8, 2.5M) and down 17% and 19%, respectively, from 2013 on NBC (1.8, 2.6M).
The 1.5 rating is the lowest for Sunday coverage of the event since 2010 (1.2) and the second-lowest since 2001 (1.3). It is also the second-lowest Sunday rating of the season for PGA Tour golf on broadcast, ahead of only the final round of the Texas Open in March (1.4).
Sunday’s multi-year low came one day after NBC’s Saturday coverage hit a seven-year high with a 1.7 and 2.5 million. Of course, the Saturday window had a direct lead-in from the Kentucky Derby and aired in primetime.
Over on Golf Channel, Sunday coverage drew a 0.5 and 613,000 viewers — up 67% in ratings and 27% in viewership from last year (0.3, 481K).
(Sun. numbers via Sports Business Daily, NBC Sports Group Press Box)
