Facing March Madness, PGA Tour ratings have been among the lowest of the season the past two weeks.
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Texas Open earned a 1.4 final rating and 2.0 million viewers on NBC last Sunday, down 13% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (1.6, 2.2M), down 22% and 20%, respectively, from 2013 (1.8, 2.5M), and season’s lowest rated, least-watched final round window on broadcast (eight* telecasts).
Coverage was trounced head-to-head by the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight on CBS and NASCAR on cable outlet Fox Sports 1 (2.4, 4.1M).
Third round coverage last Saturday, which did not face meaningful college basketball competition, drew a 1.3 and 1.9 million — up 8% in ratings and 12% in viewership from both last year and 2013 (1.2, 1.7M). It was the top third round telecast since Doral three weeks earlier (1.5, 2.0M).
The previous week, final round coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational earned a 1.8 and 2.6 million — up 29% in ratings and 34% in viewership from last year (1.4, 1.9M) and down 58% and 60%, respectively, from Tiger Woods‘ win in 2012 (4.3, 6.5M). Final round coverage of the 2013 tournament, also won by Woods, was postponed to Monday due to rain.
Though up from last year, ratings and viewership were the second-lowest of the season for final round coverage on broadcast. Third round coverage drew a 1.0 and 1.4 million, flat in ratings and down 4% in viewership from last year (1.0, 1.3M).
* Does not include the Honda Classic. Due to rain, Sunday coverage primarily featured third round action.
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily; additional info from twitter.com/austinkarp)
