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Lowest TV Ratings for Open Championship in ESPN Tenure


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http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/rory-mcilroy-2014-british-open-television-ratings?sct=hp6

Could it be due to it being early in the day or just bad coverage by ESPN?

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I think ESPN's coverage is better than any of the other networks provide and the Sunday round was no earlier than normal (only Saturday was pushed up).

It's a reflection of Tiger not being in the mix....and Rory's large lead going into Sunday didn't help. Rory might be the heir apparent to Tiger's throne but he isn't nearly as blockbuster as Tiger (at least in the States) nor will he ever be. I wish the tour could more broadly attract sports fans, but Tiger appears to be the only one capable of doing that.

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http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/rory-mcilroy-2014-british-open-television-ratings?sct=hp6

Could it be due to it being early in the day or just bad coverage by ESPN?

Or something else entirely. The Open is always on early, and I don't think ESPN does a bad job.

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I thought the coverage was fine. Probably a combination of being so early due to the weather issue and not being as good as last years.

Riley

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I thought the coverage was fine. Probably a combination of being so early due to the weather issue and not being as good as last years.

That's for the final round, not Saturday. I would think:

  • No TW
  • McIlroy's 6 shot lead
  • Cord cutters on the rise - no ESPN so they watch ABC's afternoon rebroadcast
  • People needing a break from watching so much World Cup?

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Honestly, I watched mostly because I liked Rory and most on the leaderboard. When no one I care for is in the lead, I'll most likely go play golf instead.

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ESPN not in as many homes as ABC. This is the 1st year I recall exclusive ESPN live coverage. Don't they normally go to ABC around 8am or so? Edit: disregard, should have read the article before I mouthed off.

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A couple factors...

1) Tiger wasn't in the mix

2) Saturday start was very early

3) Rory's 4-shot lead on Saturday and 6-shot lead going on Sunday

The main thing the ratings reflect is that Rory doesn't move the needle yet. He might start to if he keeps dominating, but being a Euro, it's harder to make a dent here in the US.

ESPN's coverage is okay. I think Tirico is good and so is Van Pelt, but I can't stand Curtis Strange. He is horrible. And Paul Azinger is average...one reason I like Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo is they're not afraid to be critical and speak their mind, like when Miller called out Phil on the 18th at Winged Foot 8 years ago. I think Paul is too "Jon Gruden" and praiseworthy behind the mic.

What does surprise is 2010 had higher ratings. Louis Oosthuizen's run away win over Paul Casey with no Tiger in the mix over the weekend scored better ratings? I guess the reasoning is the season as a whole has not garnered the excitement it used to. A boring Masters and US Open failed to create any buzz.

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ESPN not in as many homes as ABC. This is the 1st year I recall exclusive ESPN live coverage. Don't they normally go to ABC around 8am or so?

Edit: disregard, should have read the article before I mouthed off.

I think Wimbledon does all ESPN now as well.

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ESPN's coverage is okay. I think Tirico is good and so is Van Pelt, but I can't stand Curtis Strange. He is horrible. And Paul Azinger is average...one reason I like Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo is they're not afraid to be critical and speak their mind, like when Miller called out Phil on the 18th at Winged Foot 8 years ago. I think Paul is too "Jon Gruden" and praiseworthy behind the mic.

Surprised that you think this way. Zinger was ripping Tiger on Sunday over the constant swing changes, basically saying he thought they were unncessary and robbed him of some of his prime. Agree or disagree, but he didn't seem to hold back his opinion.

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Surprised that you think this way. Zinger was ripping Tiger on Sunday over the constant swing changes, basically saying he thought they were unncessary and robbed him of some of his prime. Agree or disagree, but he didn't seem to hold back his opinion.

I didn't hear that part...but if he did, that's great. I like analysts who don't hold anything back. That's why Miller and Faldo gain points in my book. And then you have Curtis Strange who you'll probably hear 20 times next year talk about the 62 he shot at St. Andrews in the Dunhill Championships.

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On the other hand, ticket sales was excellent this year. Don't have the link but BO + McIlroy = record receipts. And I have to add the way people "watch" sports now has changed so fast Nielsen and all TPTB cannot find an accurate standardized way to measure ratings in one number. People DVR, watch on their phones and tablets legally and illegally, not all DVRs can be monitored by providers, like mine, have watch parties, does the R&A; provide online viewing numbers to ESPN and Nielsen? I really don't put much stock into Nielsen numbers anymore.

Steve

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I think ESPN's coverage is better than any of the other networks provide and the Sunday round was no earlier than normal (only Saturday was pushed up). It's a reflection of Tiger not being in the mix....and Rory's large lead going into Sunday didn't help. Rory might be the heir apparent to Tiger's throne but he isn't nearly as blockbuster as Tiger (at least in the States) nor will he ever be. I wish the tour could more broadly attract sports fans, but Tiger appears to be the only one capable of doing that.

There isn't going to be a new Tiger, what golf can hope for is a proper rivalry. Unfortunately for this to happen best someone needs to where a "black hat", all the young guys seem so damn nice that I can't see it happening..... Doh then I remember Mr Reed, Reed v Rory, Jordan & Rickie, Evil v Good, light v Dark, jobs a good'un, the ratings will be saved!

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On the other hand, ticket sales was excellent this year. Don't have the link but BO + McIlroy = record receipts. And I have to add the way people "watch" sports now has changed so fast Nielsen and all TPTB cannot find an accurate standardized way to measure ratings in one number. People DVR, watch on their phones and tablets legally and illegally, not all DVRs can be monitored by providers, like mine, have watch parties, does the R&A; provide online viewing numbers to ESPN and Nielsen? I really don't put much stock into Nielsen numbers anymore.

From the press release linked to in the article: [QUOTE]The Open Championship (July 18-21) across ESPN digital platforms – including ESPN.com, Fantasy, the ESPN mobile Web, ScoreCenter and WatchESPN – logged an average minute audience of 95,831.[/QUOTE] So while the Nielsen ratings don't take that into account, it's not a huge number anyway.

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From the press release linked to in the article:

So while the Nielsen ratings don't take that into account, it's not a huge number anyway.

Wow, that's a tiny piece. My bias from popular programming like Game of Thrones is skewing my opinion. I guess for sports, streaming is not a big deal. Also probably people want to see it on the big screen, but I actually don't mind watching sports, as long as it's HD, on a small screen. I watched almost a couple of halves of the World Cup while commuting, waiting on line, on hold, on a phone and didn't feel like I was straining my eyes.

Steve

Kill slow play. Allow walking. Reduce ineffective golf instruction. Use environmentally friendly course maintenance.

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Wow, that's a tiny piece. My bias from popular programming like Game of Thrones is skewing my opinion. I guess for sports, streaming is not a big deal. Also probably people want to see it on the big screen, but I actually don't mind watching sports, as long as it's HD, on a small screen. I watched almost a couple of halves of the World Cup while commuting, waiting on line, on hold, on a phone and didn't feel like I was straining my eyes.

Frankly, I thought there would be more streamers too.

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Frankly, I thought there would be more streamers too.

Now I'm curious about illegal streaming numbers. Like FirstRowSports and the like.

Steve

Kill slow play. Allow walking. Reduce ineffective golf instruction. Use environmentally friendly course maintenance.

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Note: This thread is 3537 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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