U.S. Open TV Ratings Goes Up Against World Cup Soccer
TV ratings are the main scoreboard for boasting and network ad revenue. The U.S. Open always runs behind The Masters but is slightly ahead or even with the other two majors–that’s depending if Tiger Woods is participating–and competing on the weekend. The fact he was sailing home on the weekend certainly didn’t help this year’s TV numbers.
So, how did this year’s U.S. Open compare with past Opens?
The timing is a bit iffy as the outrageously popular World Cup is also on its month-long schedule. Soccer is by far the world’s most revered sport. Then add Mexico’s unlikely win versus Germany while the Open’s final round was a long slog of pars and bogeys.
The Hollywood Reporter posts last week’s ratings for Fox Sports.
Fox Sports’ coverage of the PGA’s U.S. Open final round outperformed its coverage of soccer, earning a 3.6 overnight rating among metered market households. That score, for coverage that aired on the broadcast network and not the cable channel, was a shade better than in 2017 — and, compared to English-language soccer coverage, performed 13 percent better in early returns. Fox Sports’ cable high of the day indeed came with the Mexico-Germany game, fetching a World Cup best thus far with an average 3.2 rating among metered market households.
But was golf really Sunday’s big winner? Not by a long shot. Telemundo scored the single best telecast of the day with the Spanish-language coverage of Mexico-Germany, netting a substantial 4.3 overnight rating. It is sure to rank as a Sunday best for the network, airing its first World Cup as part of a three-series deal that will take it through 2026.
Combined, the Mexico win earned an average 7.5 rating among metered market households on Sunday. It easily ranked as the biggest event of the TV day, the weekend and stateside coverage of the World Cup thus far. (Meanwhile, down in Mexico, coverage scored an estimated 26 million viewers.)
As for golf, coverage did peak with 6.1 rating. The 3.6 average was for sustained coverage over nearly 9 hours.
How much does TW affect TV viewership? Check out this Tiger Meter from Sportsmediawatch.com.
Years in which Tiger Woods won are highlighted in light green; years in which he finished second are in blue.
| Year | The Masters | U.S. Open | British Open | PGA Champ. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rtg. | Vwrs. | Rtg. | Vwrs. | Rtg. | Vwrs. | Rtg. | Vwrs. | |
| 2017 | 6.8 | 11.1M | 3.1 | 5.1M | 3.2 | 4.9M | 3.2 | 4.9M |
| 2016 | 7.7 | 12.4M | 3.4 | 5.4M | 3.3 | 4.9M | 3.4 | 5.3M |
| 2015 | 8.7 | 14.0M | 4.2 | 6.7M | 2.4 | 3.4M | 4.4 | 6.7M |
| 2014 | 6.9 | 11.1M | 3.0 | 4.6M | 2.3 | 3.3M | 5.3 | 8.2M |
| 2013 | 9.4 | 14.7M | 5.4 | 8.4M | 3.1 | 4.4M | 3.9 | 5.5M |
| 2012 | 8.0 | 13.5M | 6.0 | 9.6M | 3.1 | 4.2M | 3.4 | 4.9M |
| 2011 | 9.5 | 15.3M | 4.5 | 7.4M | 2.3 | 3.2M | 4.1 | 6.1M |
| 2010 | 10.7 | 16.7M | 5.8 | 9.3M | 2.1 | 3.0M | 4.3 | 6.5M |
| 2009 | 8.3 | 14.3M | 4.7 | 7.1M | 3.8 | 5.5M | 6.6 | 10.1M |
| 2008 | 8.6 | 13.1M | 7.5 | 12.1M | 3.3 | 4.6M | 2.8 | 4.0M |
| 2007 | 9.1 | 14.9M | 6.4 | 9.5M | 3.7 | 5.1M | 6.2 | 9.2M |
| 2006 | 8.4 | 12.4M | 4.7 | 7.0M | 4.6 | 6.4M | 7.0 | 10.1M |
| 2005 | 9.8 | 14.6M | 5.6 | 8.0M | 4.6 | 6.0M | 5.6 | 7.8M |
| 2004 | 7.3 | 11.8M | 5.5 | 8.3M | 4.3 | 6.0M | 4.4 | 6.3M |
| 2003 | 8.3 | 11.7M | 4.9 | 6.8M | 4.5 | 5.7M | 4.5 | 6.3M |
| 2002 | 9.2 | 13.1M | 8.9 | 13.1M | 4.5 | 6.2M | 7.5 | 10.7M |
| 2001 | 13.3 | 19.2M | 7.2 | 10.3M | 4.5 | — | 6.3 | — |
| 2000 | 10.0 | 13.6M | 8.1 | 11.3M | 6.4 | — | 8.8 | — |
| 1999 | 10.1 | 13.8M | 6.8 | 9.6M | 4.8 | — | 6.9 | — |
| 1998 | 10.2 | 15.6M | 6.0 | 8.0M | 5.0 | — | 5.7 | — |
| 1997 | 14.1 | 20.3M | 6.8 | 9.2M | 4.8 | — | 5.5 | — |
| 1996 | 9.2 | 12.4M | 5.3 | 7.3M | 3.1 | — | 3.7 | — |
| 1995 | 9.8 | 13.0M | 5.6 | 7.0M | 4.9 | — | 4.8 | — |
Golfweek’s media columnist Martin Kaufman gives his take on the Fox broadcast.
To date, the USGA has handed Fox venues that could charitably be described as dismal (Chambers Bay) and dubious (Erin Hills). In between the USGA nailed the venue (Oakmont), but botched the finale (the Dustin Johnson penalty fiasco). Moreover, Tiger Woods, whose presence dramatically skews TV ratings to the upside, has played in only four of those 16 rounds, making Fox’s investment in golf seem even dodgier. (Sports Media Watch reported that the first round earned the highest rating since 2015 – not coincidentally, Woods’ last appearance in the Open.)
This year, as in 2016, the USGA brought the Open to a great venue – and almost made a hash of it again, despite assurances we would not hear any echoes of 2004.
“When will the USGA get it right?” Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner wondered. “It’s been a tough few years.”
Like baseball umpires, the governing bodies – the USGA, PGA, R&A, etc. – should never be the story. Augusta National understands this. The Green Jackets might gripe about the distance the ball flies, but in the end, they’re putting on a TV show, and they’re happy to supply the fireworks.
