The linear TV debut of LIV Golf scored minuscule ratings on The CW and was trounced head-to-head by the PGA Tour.
The debut telecasts of LIV Golf on The CW averaged a 0.18 rating and fewer than 300,000 viewers (286K on Saturday and 291K on Sunday), trailing all six telecasts of the PGA Tour Honda Classic on (two on NBC and four on Golf Channel).
NBC’s weekend Honda Classic coverage did not see much of a dent in ratings or viewership from the LIV competition. Ratings were flat on Saturday (1.0) and Sunday (1.5), with third round viewership down a fraction of a percent (1.61M) and the final round down 7% (2.38M).
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel averaged a 0.37 (+6%) and 555,000 (-3%) on Saturday and a 0.40 (-15%) and 631,000 on Sunday (-17%).
The opening rounds on Golf Channel also outperformed the LIV Tour with a 0.23 (flat) and 342,000 (+1%) last Thursday and a 0.29 (+12%) and 471,000 (+17%) last Friday.
As LIV is the first live sports property ever aired by The CW, it is difficult to put the numbers into any relevant context. The network has rarely if ever carried any afternoon programming, much less sports. Between its predecessors The WB and UPN, only the latter ever carried any national sports programming — the XFL in 2001.
With that said, LIV Golf would rank on the lower end of national CW programming over the past week — with the caveat that all other CW programs are broadcast in primetime. The network drew 234,000 for a rerun of The Flash last Tuesday, but otherwise generally attracts audiences in the 400K-700K range.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 2.28)
