Nielsen Wire » PGA http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire Consumer Insights, News, Research & Reports Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:19:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Tiger’s Return Expected To Make PGA Ratings Roar http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/tigers-return-expected-to-make-pga-ratings-roar/ http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/tigers-return-expected-to-make-pga-ratings-roar/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:41:52 +0000 Nielsen Press http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/?p=8568 When Tiger Woods tees off later today at the Accenture Match Play Championship, he won’t be the only one relieved by his return to the links. In fact, PGA Tour officials and TV executives might have more of a reason to celebrate than Tiger himself.

The Nielsen Company compared the network TV ratings for the 3rd and 4th rounds of golf tournaments played by Woods after the U.S. Open in 2007 with those same tournaments he missed in 2008 due to a season-ending knee injury. And the results are just what you might expect: Tiger’s absence almost singlehandedly sliced tour ratings in half.

VIEWERSHIP OF PGA TOURNAMENTS MISSED BY TIGER WOODS DUE TO INJURY IN 2008-09

TOURNAMENT NETWORK # OF VIEWERS P2+, 2007-08 # OF VIEWERS P2+, 2008-09 % CHANGE
BRITISH OPEN-SAT ABC 3,040,000 3,278,000 7.8%
BRITISH OPEN-SUN ABC 5,147,000 4,463,000 -13.3%
AT&T NATIONAL-SAT CBS 2,630,000 1,442,000 -45.2%
AT&T NATIONAL-SUN CBS 3,615,000 2,164,000 -40.1%
NEC WORLD SERIES GOLF-SAT CBS 3,250,000 1,793,000 -44.8%
NEC WORLD SERIES GOLF-SUN CBS **4,541,000 3,018,000 -33.5%
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SAT CBS 5,947,000 ^^1,298,000 -78.2%
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SUN CBS **9,165,000 3,885,000 -57.6%
BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SAT CBS 3,761,000 1,601,000 -57.4%
BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SUN CBS **6,193,000 2,868,000 -53.7%
DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-SUN NBC 3,658,000 1,960,000 -46.4%
DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-MON NBC 4,936,000 2,116,000 -57.1%
BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT NBC 3,113,000 1,091,000 -65.0%
BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN NBC **4,358,000 1,678,000 -61.5%
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT NBC 3,573,000 1,372,000 -61.6%
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN NBC **4,231,000 2,183,000 -48.4%
TOTAL 4,567, 000 2,430,000 -46.8%
source: The Nielsen Company 2009
** – tournament won by Tiger Woods
^^ – play suspended by inclement weather

The average household rating/share for the 2007-08 tournaments played by Tiger was 3.3/8. The same tournaments played without the injured Tiger in 2008-09 averaged 1.7/4. An estimated average of 4.6 million viewers tuned in to those tournaments played by Tiger, compared to 2.4 million the following year, a drop of almost 47%.

For the record, Tiger won last year’s Accenture Match Play Championship in front of an average 4.2 million TV viewers tuned to NBC.

The “Tiger Effect” extends beyond TV ratings; it has an impact on web traffic, as well. When Tiger amazed fans with his victory at the U.S. Open last June, it was also a victory for the PGA Tour’s Web site, which drew its highest audience of the year that month, with 1.6 million unique visitors. In fact, the average monthly PGA Tour Web traffic for April through June was 24 percent higher than in the following three months, after Tiger’s departure from the tour.

The Nielsen Company 2009

Source: The Nielsen Company 2009

]]> http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/tigers-return-expected-to-make-pga-ratings-roar/feed/ 4 SPORTS WRAP: Ryder Without Tiger; Cowboys And Packers’ Big Score; Yankee Stadium Finale http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/sports-wrap-ryder-without-tiger-cowboys-and-packers%e2%80%99-big-score-yankee-stadium-finale/ http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/sports-wrap-ryder-without-tiger-cowboys-and-packers%e2%80%99-big-score-yankee-stadium-finale/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:23:25 +0000 admin http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/?p=1581 Each week, Nielsen Sports’ analysts offer their take on the biggest sports media headlines.

Ryder Cup Golf — Minus Tiger
Last Friday morning, 1.4 million ESPN viewers tuned in to Ryder Cup golf coverage from Louisville, Kentucky.  With the world’s best golfer, Tiger Woods, sidelined, golf fans were introduced to Team USA Captain Paul Azinger’s rag-tag group of Ryder Cup rookies.  On Saturday, Ryder Cup’s TV audience more than doubled — an average of 3.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the tournament action on NBC, and on Sunday, 3.9 million NBC viewers watched as the underdogs from the U.S. earned the U.S. its first Ryder Cup win in nine years.  Who says golf isn’t a team sport?

Record-Breaking Football Ratings
In the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys v. Green Bay Packers game last Sunday night (Sept. 21) set a season record for Sunday Night football TV viewing this fall — more than 21.7 million U.S. viewers tuned in for the game on NBC.  Meanwhile, ESPN’s streak of record-breaking Monday Night Football TV audiences continued with the New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers game (Sept. 22), which drew this year’s fourth largest cable audience.  Could it be that Fantasy Football has finally entered the mainstream?

Date Network Sunday Night Football:
Matchup		 Viewers (P2+) U.S. Average Audience
(% of Households) *
9/21/2008 NBC Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers 21,729,000 13.1
9/14/2008 NBC Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns 17,834,000 10.8
9/7/2008 NBC Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts 18,351,000 11.2
9/4/2008 NBC Washington Redskins @ New York Giants 13,531,000 8.6
Source: The Nielsen Company (September 4, 2008 – September 21, 2008)
Note: Data includes Live and Same Day DVR viewing; percentage of U.S. households indicates the average audience during entire telecast.
Date Network Monday Night Football:
Matchup		 Viewers (P2+) Coverage Area Audience
(% of Households) *
9/22/2008 ESPN New York Jets @ San Diego Chargers 11,881,000 8.9
9/15/2008 ESPN Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys 18,608,000 13.3
9/8/2008 ESPN Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders 9,665,000 7.3
9/8/2008 ESPN Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers 12,501,000 9.3
Source: The Nielsen Company (September 8, 2008 – September 22, 2008)
Note: Data includes Live and Same Day DVR viewing; percentage of U.S. cable households indicates the average audience during entire telecast.

Good-Bye, Yankee Stadium
Despite competition from the Emmys (12.3 million viewers on ABC) and Sunday Night Football (22 million viewers on NBC), Yankee Stadium’s last ever television appearance — during the Yankees v. Orioles game — drew 3.1 million viewers last Sunday night.  The telecast ranked as the seventh most-watched Sunday Night Baseball game this year.  Yankee Stadium is closing to make way for a new stadium, opening next season.

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