FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S FIRST-EVER COMBINED RYDER CUP PROVIDES UNPRECEDENTED LIVE COVERAGE FROM EUROPEAN VENUE, REACHES 18.5 MILLION VIEWERS

Golf Channel Ranks as No. 1 Rated and Most-Watched Sports Network on Friday with Network’s First Live Coverage of Ryder Cup Day One

Golf Channel Digital Scores Best Week Ever, Including Golf Live Extra Streaming Most Ever Minutes Watched

ORLANDO, Fla., October 1, 2014 – NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland included 62 hours of live and encore coverage of the matches on Golf Channel and NBC, which was the most ever for this international rivalry and the first time that complete live coverage was provided from a European venue. In total, the three days of coverage on Golf Channel and NBC, in which the European team defeated the U.S. team, 16 ½ to 11 ½ , reached more than 18.5 million unique viewers, which represents 12.5% of U.S. TV households, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals.

 

Ryder Cup Day One: Golf Channel

  • Golf Channel’s Day One coverage marked the network’s debut as the exclusive Day One U.S. television source of this international rivalry. Golf Channel ranked as the No. 1 rated and most-watched sports network on Friday after the network posted its highest-rated total day in three years, and second-highest rated day of all time, with a delivery of a 0.37 S. HH RTG and 494,000 viewers per minute. This rating was +517% vs. comparable coverage in 2012 from Medinah Country Club in Illinois; +640% vs. 2010 from Celtic Manor Resort in Wales; and +517% vs. 2006 from The K Club in Ireland.
  • Golf Channel’s Day One live coverage, from 2:30 a.m. to 1:27 p.m. ET, delivered a 0.52 S. HH RTG across 11 hours of coverage, peaking at a 0.81 U.S. HH RTG for the last hour.
  • The last three hours of Golf Channel’s coverage from 10:30 a.m. to 1:27 p.m. ET was up 6% (0.76 S. HH RTG) and higher for average viewers (979,000) versus comparable live Ryder Cup coverage in 2010 on ESPN from 11:50 a.m. to 2:11 p.m ET (0.72 U.S. HH RTG; 976,000). Since ESPN’s coverage in 2010 was interrupted by rain earlier in the telecast, these windows of live golf serve as the best head-to-head comparison of past live coverage of a Ryder Cup Day One hosted at a European venue.

 

Ryder Cup Day Two:

  • Golf Channel on NBC’s live coverage of Saturday’s matches delivered a 1.4 U.S. HH RTG, 1.9 million average viewers (7 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET). This is the first time live coverage was provided of Day Two of the Ryder Cup from a European venue, therefore there are no comparables.
  • Golf Channel on NBC’s live Day Two coverage was the most-watched, non-football sports telecast on Saturday.

 

Ryder Cup Day Three:

  • Golf Channel on NBC’s live coverage of Sunday’s matches delivered a 1.6 U.S. HH RTG, 2.2 million average viewers (7 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. ET).
  • Golf Channel on NBC’s live Day Three coverage was the second most-watched, non-football sports telecast on Sunday, behind ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Dover 400, which aired partially in primetime.

 

Golf Live Extra Streaming:

Golf Live Extra posted 11.9 million minutes streamed across three days of coverage, which is the most ever watched of a single event on Golf Live Extra. Additionally, Golf Live Extra drew its highest amount of live streams—more than 350,000 – since the 2014 U.S. Open.

Ryder Cup Day One was Golf Live Extra’s best day ever, and the single biggest live stream ever, of any round of golf airing exclusively on Golf Channel, with more than 165,000 live starts and almost 8 million minutes streamed. Golf Live Extra streaming of Golf Channel’s first-ever coverage of the Ryder Cup matches surpassed live starts of Friday of the 2013 Presidents Cup by almost 45%. And users doubled the amount of minutes streamed compared to the 2013 Presidents Cup (4.1 mil Day One / 3.6 mil Day Two).

 

Golf Channel’s Live From The Ryder Cup and Ryder Cup Alternate Shot:

More than 85 hours of live coverage on Golf Channel and NBC during Ryder Cup Week included more than 43 live hours of Golf Channel’s Live From The Ryder Cup and nearly 13 hours of Ryder Cup Alternate Shot, the network’s innovative multiscreen experience complementing NBC’s traditional weekend coverage. Live From The Ryder Cup reached 4.7 million unique viewers, the most from a Ryder Cup at a European venue. Additionally, Ryder Cup Alternate Shot reached 1.8 million unique viewers in its debut as complementary coverage.

 

Golf Channel Digital:

Golf Channel Digital set its best week ever with its comprehensive 2014 Ryder Cup coverage, including unique visitors, page views and video starts for all platforms. For the week, GolfChannel.com garnered 2.16 million unique visitors (+325% vs. 2010, +75% vs. 2012), as well as nearly 16.2 million page views (+99%, +65%), and more than 1.3 million video starts (+438%, +173%). Golf Channel Mobile recorded more than 10.4 million page views (+93% vs. 2012) and more than 267,000 video starts (+81%).

And the momentum continued into Monday, September 29 with Golf Channel Digital recording its best Monday ever, with GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel Mobile combining with more than 600,000 unique visitors, 3.6 million page views, and 360,000 video starts.

 

ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL

Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Golf Channel, co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of the NBC Sports Group, is available in more than 120 million homes and 83 countries worldwide. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, as well as a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s highest-quality news, instruction and original programming.  Golf Channel’s digital platforms, led by GolfChannel.com, are the leading golf destinations on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, as well as services that connect the world to golf.  Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel’s mobile application, Golf Live Extra.  Golf Channel programming also is available via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio.

-NBC Sports Group-