Fox Sports got off to a poor start for its first U.S. Women’s Open.
First round coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open drew 210,000 viewers on Fox Sports 1 Thursday afternoon, down 52% from last year (437K) and down 6% from 2013 (223K), both on ESPN2. Excluding rainouts, it was the least-watched round of the U.S. Women’s Open on record (dating back to 1995).
Keep in mind the telecast ended one hour early due to rain. Coverage of the delay drew 153,000 from 6-7 PM ET.
The year-over-year declines are especially pronounced due to last year’s strong performance. ESPN and NBC had substantial gains due to the success of eventual champion Michelle Wie, one of the biggest names in the sport. Another caveat is that FS1 went on-air at 2 PM ET, the first time since 2009 that coverage began so early on a weekday.
(Nielsen)
