After two strong weekends, any PGA ratings momentum came to an abrupt halt opposite the Winter Olympics.
Final round coverage of the PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am had a 2.2 rating and 3.5 million viewers on CBS Sunday, down 19% in ratings and 18% in viewership from last year (2.7, 4.2M) and down 31% and 28% respectively from 2016 (3.2, 4.9M).
Ted Potter Jr.‘s win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched final round of the tournament since 2014 (1.8, 2.7M). Not coincidentally, coverage aired opposite the Winter Olympics in both years. NBC’s competing Sunday window had a 5.8 rating and 9.5 million viewers.
Pebble Beach, which the last two years was the season’s top non-major, trailed the two previous tournaments — the Phoenix Open (2.5, 4.1M) and Torrey Pines (2.6, 4.1M).
Third round action on Saturday had a 1.5 (-17%) and 2.3 million (-14%), marking the least-watched Saturday of the tournament in three years (2015: 2.2M).
The double-digit declines were a sharp contrast from Phoenix and Torrey Pines, both of which posted significant increases on CBS.
While the primary CBS telecasts declined, lead-in coverage on Golf Channel increased both days. Saturday’s telecast had a 0.65 rating (+38%) and 956,000 viewers (+40%) and Sunday’s a 0.8 (+11%) and 1.3 million (+11%). Golf Channel avoided competition with NBC’s Winter Olympics windows, which began at 3 PM ET.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 2.13]
