Even with Tiger Woods out of contention, the Players Championship earned its second-best final round rating in the past six years.
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Players Championship drew a 3.3 final rating and 5.0 million viewers on NBC Sunday, up 57% in ratings and 66% in viewership from last year (2.1, 3.0M) but down 34% in both measures from Tiger Woods‘ win in 2013 (5.0, 7.6M). Ratings and viewership peaked at 4.8 and 7.8 million in the final half-hour.
Sunday’s telecast earned the second-highest rating and viewership for the Players Championship since 2009 (3.6, 5.4M), trailing only 2013. It also generated the top audience for any non-major golf telecast this season, easily topping the previous mark of 3.9 million for the final round of the Houston Open.
Six of the last nine final round PGA Tour telecasts (including The Masters and the WGC Match Play) have had a double-digit increase in ratings and viewership.
Third round coverage last Saturday drew a 1.95 rating and 2.7 million viewers — up 15% in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year (1.7, 2.5M) and down 25% and 27%, respectively, from 2013 (2.6, 3.7M).
UPDATE 5/14: Chart originally included ratings for 1996, but the 3.5 listed was likely NBC’s two-day average and not for Sunday coverage alone.
(Wknd. numbers from NBC Sports)
