With Tiger Woods skipping the tournament this year, Honda Classic ratings slipped on NBC.
Last Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour Honda Classic delivered a 2.4 rating and 3.80 million viewers on NBC, down 8% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year on CBS (2.6, 4.01M), but up a third and 37% respectively from 2017 on NBC (1.8, 2.76M).
Keith Mitchell‘s win trailed only last year as the highest rated and most-watched final round of the tournament since 2014 (2.6, 3.88M). Not coincidentally, last year marked Woods’ first appearance in the event since 2014. He skipped the tournament this year.
The Honda Classic continued a mixed start to the PGA Tour season. Seven of the 12 rounds on broadcast television have declined in ratings and/or viewership.
For the weekend, Sunday’s telecast ranked second among all sporting events behind NASCAR on FOX (3.0, 5.12M). It ranked a distant seventh in adults 18-49 (0.5).
Saturday’s third round coverage pulled a 1.4 and 2.10 million, down 18% in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year (1.7, 2.44M), but up 17% and 14% respectively from 2017 (1.2, 1.84M).
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel delivered a 0.43 (-9%) and 642,000 (-7%) on Saturday and a 0.8 (+28%) and 1.25 million (+32%).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 3.5]
