The Players Championship delivered one of golf’s top ratings of the season, but continued the sport’s recent ratings slump.
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Players Championship scored a 2.8 final rating and 4.2 million viewers on NBC last Sunday afternoon, down 15% in ratings and viewership from last year (3.3, 5.0M) and up 33% and 41%, respectively, from 2014 (2.1, 3.0M).
The 2.8 rating is the second-highest of the season for a non-major PGA Tour telecast, behind only the final round at Pebble Beach in February (3.2). With that said, it is also the second-lowest for the final round of The Players in at least 20 years, excluding rainouts — ahead of only 2014.
Ratings have now dropped for 12 of the past 14 PGA Tour rounds on broadcast, not including rainout coverage from New Orleans earlier this month. That includes last Saturday’s third round, which had a 2.2 and 3.2 million — up 13% in ratings and 19% in viewership from last year (2.0, 2.7M) and up 29% and 28%, respectively, from 2014 (1.7, 2.5M).
Citing an apparent typo on Sports Business Daily, this post previously reported 5.2 million viewers for Sunday’s final round. In fact it had 4.2 million.
(Wknd. numbers from Sports Business Daily, Programming Insider)
