In the first week of the LIV golf tour, the PGA Tour scored a 22-year high for the return of the Canadian Open. Plus: ratings inched up for the final race of horse racing’s Triple Crown; Cubs-Yankees neared a season-high on FOX.
PGA Canadian Open hits 22-year high in return
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Canadian Open averaged a 1.8 rating and 2.78 million viewers on CBS Sunday, the largest audience for the tournament since 2000. Ratings increased a tick and viewership 5% from the previous edition of the tournament in 2019 (1.7, 2.63M). Rory McIlroy’s win, which peaked with 3.67 million viewers from 3:15-3:30 PM ET, scored the largest PGA Tour audience in a month (not counting majors).
The Canadian Open was the first PGA Tour event to coincide with the new and controversial LIV golf tour.
Third round action averaged a 1.3 and 1.96 million, up 4% in ratings and 17% in viewership from ’19 (1.2, 1.68M).
Sunday’s LPGA Tour lead-in — coverage of the LPGA Classic — averaged a 0.46 and 706,000. It was the first edition of the tournament to air on broadcast television.
Belmont Stakes’ NBC swan song scores slight bump
The race portion of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes averaged a 2.65 rating and 4.72 million viewers on NBC, up a tick in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (2.6, 4.62M), but the third-smallest audience for the event since 2000 (4.30M).
Mo Donegal’s win, in which Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike finished sixth, was NBC’s final Belmont Stakes for the forseeable future. FOX takes over the rights next year.
Cubs-Yankees nears season-high on FOX
Regional Major League Baseball action featuring Cubs-Yankees in most markets averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.10 million viewers on FOX, marking the second-largest MLB audience of the season on any network. Red Sox-Yankees averaged 2.48 million on the season premiere of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball in April.
This week’s edition of Sunday Night Baseball (Mets-Angels) averaged a 0.8 and 1.35 million, no match for Cardinals-Cubs last year (0.9, 1.56M*).
In other action, FS1 drew a 0.17 and 282,000 for Yankees-Twins last Wednesday and TBS a 0.18 and 270,000 for Dodgers-White Sox last Tuesday.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 6.14, network PR]
