Fox Sports’ U.S. Open debut was on par with the last time the tournament took place on the West Coast.
First round coverage of the U.S. Open earned a 1.6 overnight rating on FOX and Fox Sports 1 Thursday, even with coverage on NBC and ESPN in 2012 — the last time the tournament took place on the West Coast. Overnights for last year and 2013 were not immediately available, though it is probable the numbers were well above last year’s record-low pace.
The FOX broadcast network earned a 2.4 overnight for its primetime coverage, up 60% from 2012 on ESPN (1.5). Keep in mind the FOX telecast featured Tiger Woods, while the 2012 telecast did not (Woods was featured in primetime the following night, with ESPN earning a 3.0 overnight).
The 2.4 trails several recent primetime sportscasts, including the USA/Sweden (3.2) and USA/Nigeria (3.5) FIFA Women’s World Cup matches on FOX and Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on NBCSN (2.9 for both).
(Nielsen; USA/Nigeria overnight via twitter.com/ourand_sbj)
