November Becomes Most-Watched Month in 2011 and Second-Best Month in Golf Channel’s Near 17-Year History
November Traffic on GolfChannel.com Best in Four Years
ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 1, 2011) – November on Golf Channel was the most-watched November in the network’s near 17-year history, marking yet another 2011 milestone and sustaining momentum gained by the network since it became part of the NBC Sports Group in January.
Highlighted by record-breaking viewership for news and tournaments, including live coverage in primetime of the Emirates Australian Open and The Presidents Cup, Golf Channel reached 13.8 million unique viewers and averaged 124,000 viewers per day, according to data released by Nielsen. November also was the most-watched month of 2011 and second-most-watched month in the history of Golf Channel. February 2008 was the most watched, averaging 139,000 viewers.
“We’re proud of this record month but we’re more proud that, at a time of year when people have traditionally turned their attention elsewhere, golf in the fall is more popular than ever,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley.
Golf Channel made significant investments to acquire additional programming to strengthen its fall schedule and keep golf in the headlines through the balance of the year. Tournament coverage, headlined by The Presidents Cup’s more than 51 hours of coverage from Australia, has featured the game’s biggest stars, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, World No. 1 Luke Donald, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott and more. Day One and Day Two of The Presidents Cup were the two most-watched days on cable in the history of the biennial event.
November 2011 records also featured Golf Channel’s:
· Most-watched week ever (Nov. 14-20 / 283,000 average viewers).
· Most-watched day ever (Nov. 18 / 589,000 average viewers).
· Most-watched night ever (Nov. 19 / 1,664,000 average viewers).
Web Gains: GolfChannel.com continued to see gains, with page views in November the highest for the month in four years. More than 16 million page views represented a 71 percent increase over November 2010. GolfChannel.com recently became the complete golf news and editorial site for NBCSports.com, as well as MSNBC.com. The recently redesigned GolfChannel.com replaced the golf section on NBCSports.com on the web, as well as across NBC Sports’ mobile and tablet platforms.
December Continues Momentum: This week, Tiger Woods will host an elite field of 18 players for the Chevron World Challenge, Dec. 1-4; and 2011 U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy headlines a field of superstars at the UBS Hong Kong Open, which represents the final opportunity for European Tour players to qualify for next week’s Dubai World Championship and its $7.5 million payday. Golf Channel December programming also will be highlighted by golf legends Johnny Miller, Nick Faldo and Raymond Floyd who will share their secrets to success during “7 Nights at the Academy,” beginning Dec. 12. During 15 themed shows over seven nights, the trio will share instructional tips for all aspects of the game from tee to green.
