Ratings Roundup: Masters Is Exception in Disappointing PGA Season

The final PGA Tour ratings are in and they do not look good. Of the 68 total telecasts, all on CBS or NBC, 50 drew less than a 2.0 rating and only six topped a 3.0. In all, 43 of the 62 PGA tour telecasts that can be compared to last year (six tournaments could not be compared to 2009 for various reasons) saw a decline in ratings. To the surprise of no one, the Masters led the way, notching a 6.7 for the third round and a 10.7 for the final round. Both were the highest Masters ratings since 2001…

…Donovan McNabb’s return to Philadelphia reeled in plenty of viewers Sunday, as Fox’s telecast logged a 15.9 overnight rating, up 5% from last year (Broncos-Cowboys, 15.1). The Redskins 17-12 win over the Eagles aired in 94% of TV markets. Fox’s early coverage, regional action featuring Panthers-Saints, drew a 9.3 overnight rating, up 6% from last year (Giants-Chiefs, 8.8)…

…NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football coverage of the New York  Giants 17-3 win over the Bears notched a 14.2 overnight rating, the highest number for an October primetime game since 2000 (14.7 for Tampa Bay-Minnesota). The 14.2 rating was up 19% from Week 4 last year (11.9 for San Diego-Pittsburgh). Despite the Bears’ loss, the game drew a 39.7 rating in Chicago…

…CBS’s Week 4 single-header, featuring Ravens/Steelers, drew an 11.9 overnight rating in the 4 p.m. ET slot. That is even with last year (Ravens-Patriots 11.9)…

…Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia delivered a 16% increase in Phillies ratings in 2010, the network’s eighth consecutive season of Phillies ratings growth. During the 2010 season, the Phillies scored an 8.3 average rating (247,000 HH) for live game action, a 16% increase over last season’s 7.14 rating. Comcast SportsNet’s Phillies game ratings have climbed 148% since 2002, when the Phillies delivered a 3.35 household rating…

…FOX ended the MLB regular season on a high note, posting a 2.6 overnight rating for Saturday’s regional coverage featuring the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the highest rating of the season for a game featuring the two arch-rivals. The 2.6 is up 30% from regional action one week earlier (2.0 for Red Sox-Yankees) and up 73% from two weeks ago (1.5 for Braves-Mets). FOX’s MLB coverage also bested Tennessee-LSU college football airing on CBS (2.4) and regional action on ABC featuring Texas-Oklahoma (4.8)…

…Alabama’s 31-6 thrashing of Florida on Saturday night earned a 5.1 overnight rating for CBS, the third-highest of the college football season but down 25% from CBS’s only primetime game last year (UF/LSU: 6.8). The game beat ABC’s Saturday Night Football coverage by 50%, as Stanford-Oregon or Notre Dame-Boston College drew a 5.1 and 3.4, respectively. CBS’s afternoon coverage of Tennessee-LSU drew a 2.4 overnight, down 35% from LSU-Georgia last year (3.7).