medialifemagazine.com
Masters looks hot with Woods on fire
By Toni Fitzgerald
Mar 19, 2008 - 1:10:35 AM
If Tiger Woods keeps up his torrid pace, CBS will be looking at huge ratings for next month’s Masters tournament.
Woods won his fifth straight PGA Tour event over the weekend, and sixth tourney of the season counting overseas competitions, to send NBC’s golf ratings soaring. He’s now in position to enter the Masters undefeated should he win his next tournament, at Doral, where he’s the three-time defending champion.
Sunday’s final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational averaged a 4.3 overnight household rating and a 9 share, up 68 percent over last year’s 2.5/5. It was the event’s best final round since 2002, when Woods also won, which averaged a 5.7/11.
The third-round coverage on Saturday averaged a 2.3/6, 21 percent higher than last year’s 1.9/4.
Woods earned his victory by converting a 24-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to earn a one-shot victory. It was the 32-year-old’s 64th career PGA victory, tying him with Ben Hogan for third on the all-time chart.
He now trails only Jack Nicklaus, with 73 career victories, and Sam Snead, with 82. Going back to last year, Woods has won seven of his last eight PGA Tour matches, the lone exception a second-place finish at last September’s Deutsche Bank Championship, and he has won more than half his tournaments since summer 2006.
There are dozens of PGA Tour denizens who haven’t won once in that span. Excitement about Woods’ streak has been building since the start of the season, with several tournaments seeing ratings climb compared with last year.
Woods will be vying for his fifth Masters title and his 14th career major victory when CBS airs the final two rounds on April 12-13.
Woods’ first victory, in 1997, was the highest-rated Masters in history, averaging an 11.2 household rating and 27 share. His victories account for three of the four top-rated Masters in the years since.
Of course even if Woods wins that tournament, he’ll have a long way to go to tie Byron Nelson's record for consecutive Tour victories at 11.
***
Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended March 16:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 4.1 rating and a 12 share, followed by NBC at 2.2/6, ABC and CBS at 2.1/6, Univision at 1.5/4, CW at 1.0/3, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, Telemundo at 0.4/1, TeleFutura at 0.2/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 18-34, Fox led with a 3.4 rating and an 11 share, followed by ABC at 1.8/6, Univision at 1.7/6, NBC at 1.4/5, CBS at 1.3/4, CW at 1.1/3, Telemundo and MyNetworkTV at 0.4/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 4.7 rating and a 12 share, followed by NBC and CBS at 2.7/7, ABC at 2.5/6, Univision at 1.4/4, CW at 0.9/2, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/1, Telemundo at 0.4/1, TeleFutura at 0.2/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 11.0; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 10.3; 3. ABC’s “Lost” 4.9; 4. CBS’s “Survivor” 4.3; 5. Fox’s “The Moment of Truth” 4.2.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 29.88 million; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 27.13 million; 3. CBS’s “Survivor” 13.22 million; 4. ABC’s “Lost” 12.08 million; 5. ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” 12.05 million.
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (households, week ended March 2): Fox’s “American Idol – Tuesday” 16.6; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 16.3; 3. Fox’s “American Idol - Thursday” 15.4; 4. ABC’s “Oprah’s Big Give” 9.7; 5. NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” 9.3.
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended March 2): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 11.7; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 11.1; 3. Fox’s “American Idol - Thursday” 9.7; 4. ABC’s “Lost” 6.5; 5. ABC’s “Oprah’s Big Give” 5.5.
Show on the rise: “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, Monday 9 p.m. Viewers were excited for the return of “Two and a Half Men” even before new episodes of the show came back. A repeat episode last week earned a 3.8 rating among viewers 18-49, up 15 percent versus a 3.3 the previous week.
Show on the decline: “Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular,” CBS, Friday 8 p.m. The primetime version of “Price” had been doing solidly on Friday nights, but last week posted a 1.9 rating among viewers 18-49, off 24 percent from the previous week’s 2.4.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending March 16 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
FOX
|
6.8
|
7630
|
11
|
3.9
|
11280
|
10
|
4.1
|
5390
|
12
|
|
NBC
|
5.0
|
5650
|
8
|
2.6
|
7500
|
7
|
2.2
|
2880
|
6
|
|
CBS
|
5.0
|
5620
|
8
|
2.7
|
7610
|
7
|
2.1
|
2710
|
6
|
|
ABC
|
4.0
|
4470
|
7
|
2.1
|
6070
|
6
|
2.1
|
2780
|
6
|
|
UNI
|
1.7
|
1970
|
3
|
1.2
|
3400
|
3
|
1.5
|
1930
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.6
|
1770
|
3
|
0.8
|
2350
|
2
|
1.0
|
1290
|
3
|
|
ION
|
0.4
|
420
|
1
|
0.2
|
520
|
0
|
0.1
|
140
|
0
|
|
MNT
|
0.8
|
920
|
1
|
0.4
|
1210
|
1
|
0.5
|
600
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.5
|
620
|
1
|
0.3
|
940
|
1
|
0.4
|
490
|
1
|
|
TF
|
0.3
|
320
|
0
|
0.2
|
520
|
0
|
0.2
|
320
|
1
|
|
AZA
|
0.1
|
140
|
0
|
0.1
|
230
|
0
|
0.1
|
160
|
0
|
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to
1. 114
million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending March 16 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
FOX
|
6.8
|
7630
|
11
|
4.0
|
11510
|
10
|
4.4
|
5720
|
12
|
|
CBS
|
6.7
|
7580
|
11
|
3.7
|
10540
|
9
|
3.0
|
3890
|
8
|
|
ABC
|
6.0
|
6730
|
10
|
3.2
|
9240
|
8
|
3.1
|
4020
|
8
|
|
NBC
|
5.4
|
6110
|
9
|
3.0
|
8550
|
8
|
3.0
|
3980
|
8
|
|
UNI
|
1.8
|
2040
|
3
|
1.2
|
3520
|
3
|
1.5
|
1980
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.7
|
1900
|
3
|
0.9
|
2600
|
2
|
1.0
|
1370
|
3
|
|
MNT
|
0.8
|
860
|
1
|
0.4
|
1130
|
1
|
0.4
|
550
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.6
|
650
|
1
|
0.4
|
1050
|
1
|
0.4
|
580
|
1
|
|
ION
|
0.4
|
430
|
1
|
