The PGA Tour’s hot streak continued with a ratings jump at the Memorial. Plus: numbers for racing, soccer, and a number of other events.
PGA Tour’s ratings rise continues at Memorial
Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour Memorial tournament averaged a 2.1 rating and 3.23 million viewers on CBS, marking the largest audience for the event in five years (2015: 3.37M). Ratings were flat and viewership increased 9% from last year (2.96M).
Jon Rahm’s win delivered the largest PGA Tour audience since the final round of Pebble Beach in February (3.51M). The previous high was 3.09 million for the final round at Colonial last month, the first Tour event after a three-month hiatus.
Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel averaged a 1.0 (+41%) and 1.47 million (+40%), the network’s top lead-in audience ever at the Memorial and best at any tournament since Riviera in 2019 (1.54M).
Third round action on Saturday drew a 1.8 (+20%) and 2.64 million (+28%) on CBS and a 0.8 (+31%) and 1.24 million (+39%) on Golf Channel. Friday’s second round had a 0.7 (+10%) and 937,000 (+16%) on Golf Channel. As previously noted, the tournament opened with its largest first round audience (1.08M) since 1997.
Mostly positive weekend for racing series
The Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix averaged a 0.42 rating and 703,000 viewers on ESPN Sunday morning, up 24% in ratings and 32% in viewership from last year’s race on ESPN2 (0.34, 520K). The race was ESPN’s most-watched program in more than a week.
Later Sunday, NHRA eliminations from Indianapolis averaged a 0.59 and 906,000 on the FOX broadcast network — up 28% and 31% respectively from the previous weekend at the same track (0.46, 689K) — and MotoGP’s NBC debut pulled a 0.36 and 527,000.
On Saturday, NBCSN averaged a 0.63 and 973,000 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas (+5%), followed by a 0.23 and 357,000 for the IMSA at Sebring — the largest IMSA audience since NBC began airing the series last year.
Finally, IndyCar’s Iowa doubleheader averaged a 0.21 and 334,000 on Friday and a 0.23 and 356,000 on Saturday. Last year’s lone Iowa race began around Midnight ET due to rain and averaged 156,000.
MLS El Trafico down; Copa por México tops week
Saturday’s LAFC-Galaxy “El Trafico” MLS match averaged a 0.20 rating and 296,000 viewers on ESPN, flat in ratings and down 7% in viewership from the rivals’ meeting on the same weekend last year, which also aired on ESPN (0.20, 317K). Despite failing to crack 300,000 viewers, it was the most-watched MLS match of the week.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s Cruz Azul-Chivas Copa por México final delivered the week’s top soccer audience overall, averaging 919,000 viewers on UniMas. The full tournament averaged 423,000 across the Univision networks.
Plus: UFC, Haskell, Tennis, AVP
UFC Fight Night prelims averaged a 0.33 rating and 509,000 viewers on ESPN Saturday, down 38% and 37% respectively from UFC 251 prelims the previous weekend (0.53, 809K). … Saturday’s Breeders Cup Challenge Haskell Invitational averaged a 0.51 and 732,000 on NBC, trailing weather-delayed coverage last year (0.57, 821K). … World Team Tennis averaged a 0.34 rating and 484,000 viewers on CBS Sunday, up 10% in ratings and 18% in viewership from the same weekend last year (0.31, 409K). The telecast ranks as the most-watched in league history, topping the previous high set by last year’s window. … The AVP volleyball tour averaged a 0.31 and 429,000 on NBC Saturday and a 0.49 and 731,000 on Sunday. NBC’s lone telecast last season averaged a 0.50 and 732,000.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 7.21, NBC Sports, Univision]
