Even with rain wreaking havoc on the schedule, the British Open managed to improve upon last year’s numbers.
Final round coverage of the British Open drew a 2.1 final rating and 2.9 million viewers on ESPN Monday, up 11% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (1.9, 2.7M) but down 16% and 18%, respectively, from 2013 (2.5, 3.5M). Those telecasts aired as scheduled on a Sunday.
The early morning portion of the telecast drew 889,000 viewers from 6-8 AM ET, while the main window drew 3.4 million from 8 AM-3:40 PM — up 2% from last year (3.3M) and down 23% from 2013 (4.4M). Ratings and viewership peaked at an impressive 3.7 and 5.3 million from 1:30-1:45 PM ET, the quarter-hour in which Jordan Spieth narrowly missed the playoff eventually won by Zach Johnson.
Third round action on Sunday also drew a 2.1 and 2.9 million, up 110% in ratings and 115% in viewership from last year, when coverage aired on the traditional Saturday but began hours early to avoid rain (1.0, 1.4M). Compared to 2013, Sunday’s early morning coverage increased 23% in viewership (from 1.3M to 1.5M), while the main 9 AM-2 PM window declined 10% (from 3.8M to 3.4M).
Second round coverage drew a 1.2 and 1.6 million across Friday and Saturday, compared to a 0.9 and 1.2 million for last year’s comparable coverage on Friday alone. Rounding out the action, last Thursday’s opening round drew a 0.8 and 1.1 million — even and up 9%, respectively, from last year.
Overall, the complete British Open averaged a 1.4 rating and 1.9 million viewers on ESPN, up 27% in ratings and 29% in viewership from last year (1.1, 1.5M). West Palm Beach, FL, was the top market for the tournament (2.9) and for Monday’s final round (5.0).
(Numbers via ESPN; additional info from ShowBuzz Daily [1], [2], Sports Business Daily)
