ESPN Sets Ratings Course With The Masters
Friday's Second-Round Coverage Holes Highest Ever Rating For Cable Golf
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 4/13/2008 9:53:00 AM
Trevor Immelman had a great run at The Masters, donning the famed green jacket after becoming the first South African win to win the prestigious tourney since Gary Player did in 1978. ESPN did pretty well, too.
Indeed, the total sports network's second round presentation of The Masters Friday was the most-viewed golf telecast in cable history.
Covering golf’s first major for the first time, the total sports network holed a 3.1 household rating and 3.01 million impressions with its Friday afternoon-early evening telecast, according to Nielsen Fast National data. The performance marked the first time one of the first two rounds of The Masters, previously televised by USA Network, surpassed the 3 million household threshold, according to ESPN officials.
The April 11 telecast earned a 0.9 rating among persons 18 to 34 (512, 524 impressions), which also marked cable’s most-viewed golf telecast among that demo.
Thursday’s coverage delivered an overall household rating of 2.2 (2,080,578 impressions).
ESPN’s Wednesday coverage of the Par 3 Contest, the first time the event was televised, earned a 0.9 household coverage rating (861,548 impressions).
On ESPN.com, views of golf and Masters-related video are up 117% over the same Masters week in 2007. Additionally, through Saturday, the ESPN Masters Video Podcast was the 20th most downloaded podcast on iTunes (out of more than 150,000), and the most downloaded sports podcast over the Thursday-Saturday stretch.
.“It's gratifying to begin our domestic relationship with the Masters Tournament with such terrific results,” said ESPN president George Bodenheimer in a statement.“We're pleased to play a role in helping the Masters address its goal of reaching a younger audience and growing the game of golf.”
Noted Billy Payne, chairman of The Masters tournament and Augusta National Golf Club: “We are very excited about both the broadcast and new media results from our initial domestic association with ESPN.This expanded reach, along with our other initiatives, significantly helps us with our goal of growing the game of golf.”
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