The new golf venture TGL got off to a respectable start in the ratings.
The debut of TGL, the new golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, averaged a 0.50 rating and 919,000 viewers on ESPN Tuesday night — up 28% from a Duke-Pittsburgh men’s college basketball game in the same window last year (717K).
Viewership peaked at 1.1 million in the second quarter-hour from 9:15-9:30 PM ET and remained over the million mark through 10:15.
The telecast built on its lead-in — another men’s college basketball game between Duke and Pittsburgh — by 22% (751K). It was not too far off the competing NBA games on TNT and truTV, Lakers-Mavericks (1.15M) and Celtics-Nuggets (1.06M).
Notably, TGL averaged more viewers in its debut telecast than LIV Golf has ever drawn in two years on CW. It also topped coverage of last week’s PGA Tour Tournament of Champions and last month’s “Showdown” between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler of the PGA Tour and Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka of LIV.
For a cross-sport comparison, viewership was about the same as last week’s NHL Winter Classic on TNT and truTV, albeit the least-watched edition of that event (920K).
Delayed a year due to storm damage at its facility last January, TGL is a technologically-advanced indoor team golf venture that features six teams of four players each. [Related: New TGL offers unique take on televised golf.] Woods is a participant, with his Jupiter Links Golf Club beginning play next Tuesday.
