January 23, 2008
So...When Tiger Woods Plays a Tournament...
...people watch.
Well, duh.
But it is proving out in numbers that are really staggering. From the LA Times:
"The ratings tell a story that begins and ends with Woods. According to research that traced Woods' effect on television ratings in 2007, tournaments in which he finished in the top five had a 171% increase in CBS' ratings over those in which he did not play or wasn't in contention. The ratings were 4.6 compared with 1.7. In similar tournaments on NBC, the ratings increase was 59%, or 3.5 compared with 2.2. The two-network average showed an increase of 111%, or 4.0 compared with 1.9. Rob Correa, senior vice president of programming for CBS Sports, said Woods' influence on ratings is at least equal to any of the greatest figures in sports."
A survey of, um, "me", confirms the truth behind these numbers. Tiger plays? I watch and am interested. Tiger doesn't play? I don't watch and don't care what happens. Apparently I am not alone. By a long-shot.
