FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 29th, 2016

GOLF CHANNEL POSTS MOST-WATCHED SECOND QUARTER EVER

Most-Watched June Ever Helps Drive Second Quarter to Record Viewership

Golf Channel Digital Garners Sixth Straight Quarter of Year-over-Year Gains

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 29, 2016) – Golf Channel’s momentum in 2016 continues to build with the network’s most-watched second quarter in the 21-year history of the network. For posting year-over-year gains, this represents the fifth straight quarter and the 16th of past 22 quarters since Golf Channel joined the NBC Sports Group in 2011. Ultimately, Golf Channel drew more than 24 million unique viewers in second quarter (+3% vs. 2Q ’15; +9% vs. 1Q’16), and had 51 programs average more than a half million viewers (+31% vs. 2Q ’15), according to data released by The Nielsen Company.

“We take great pride in Golf Channel’s continued momentum, and it demonstrates that the investment in high-quality programming is recognized by more and more loyal viewers,” said Mike McCarley, president, golf, NBC Sports Group. “Our comprehensive coverage of our upcoming slate of marquee events will position Golf Channel to set yet another viewership record in third quarter and carry this momentum forward.”

Golf Channel’s & NBC Sports’ Unprecedented 12-Week Stretch

  • The Open, Golf Channel’s first coverage of a men’s major championship (July 14-17)
  • Golf’s return to the Olympics with full coverage of both the men’s and women’s competitions in Rio (August 5-21)
  • The conclusion of the PGA Tour’s season with the FedExCup Playoffs (August 25-Sept. 25)
  • 2016 Ryder Cup outside Minneapolis to cap this stretch (Sept. 30-Oct. 2)

 

Golf Channel Viewership: Most-Watched Second Quarter Ever

For 24-hour Total Day (6AM-6AM), 125,000 average viewers per minute were tuned in to Golf Channel during second quarter, a +1% increase vs. 2Q 2015. This growth was driven by the most-watched April and June ever, along with these year-over-year gains:

  • PGA TOUR: +5%
  • PGA TOUR Champions: +20%
  • European Tour: +8%
  • LPGA Tour: +6%
  • Millennials (P25-34): +29%
  • Prime viewership (8P-11P): +7%
  • Retained No. 1 ranking for quarter, delivering most-affluent audience in television in Total Day and Primetime

 

Golf Channel Digital: Video and Streaming Fueling Growth

  • Pacing to post its best quarter on record for minutes streamed, video starts and average monthly unique devices (Month and Quarter end officially on June 30)
  • This will be the 6th straight quarter of growth for live streaming
  • Total minutes streamed reached 53M; +19% from 2Q15, and +2% from 1Q16
  • Video starts reached 16M; +37% from 2Q15, and +56% vs. 1Q16
  • Average monthly uniques for 2Q are 6.0M; +3% vs 2Q15, and +38% vs. 1Q16

 

NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships:

  • Live Coverage of the Men’s Championship (218,000 average viewers) is +70% vs. 2015.
    • Live coverage of the Men’s Wednesday night final match delivered 325,000 viewers per minute (+139% year over year).
  • Live Coverage of the Women’s Championship (152,000 average viewers) is +12% compared to 2015.
    • Live coverage of the Women’s Wednesday night final match delivered 249,000 viewers per minute (+25% from last year).

 

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship: Second Most-Viewed Women’s Golf Event since June 2014:

  • The 2016 KMPG Women’s PGA Championship aired across Golf Channel and NBC for the 2nd year and was seen by 6.1 million unique viewers. That’s the second largest audience for a women’s golf event since NBC/ESPN’s coverage of the US Women’s Open in 2014 (9.8 mm) and the first time since 2010 that any LPGA Tour major other than US Women’s Open was seen by more than 6 million viewers.

 

ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL

Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open Championship, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by GolfChannel.com, deliver unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Live Extra and NBC Sports Live Extra and select programming is simulcast via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.

– NBC Sports Group –