Monday's Deutsche Bank The Second Most Watched Playoff Event, Ever!

Yes, I spoke too soon about the no-press-release-in-the-in-box-part, but the format still needs work if a star-studded leaderboard on a cool course is only drawing a 3.3...and that's record territory?

For Immediate Release...

Ratings for Golf Channel on NBC’s Final Day Coverage of Deutsche Bank Championship was Second Only to Tiger-Phil Showdown at Same Event in 2007

NBC Sports Group Sets Multiple Ratings Records to Begin 2012 Playoffs

ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2012) – NBC’s final round coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday became the highest-rated and most-watched PGA TOUR Playoff round in five years, and the second-best round among all four Playoff events since the race for the FedExCup began in 2007.

Scoring a 3.3 household rating and 4,808,000 average viewers, the 1:30-6 p.m. ET broadcast was second only to the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2007 (3.4/4,900,000), which featured a finishing duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. This year’s final round also bested the same round last year by 83 percent.

“The PGA TOUR Playoffs have provided a stage for the best players in the world to showcase some incredible golf and the resulting competitive drama has garnered more attention than ever before,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “Tim Finchem and his staff at the PGA TOUR deserve credit for their vision in creating an exciting playoff environment, which after five years has delivered on the promise of what golf can be at this time of year.”

Whoa Nellie, going out of your way to thank the Commish for the great "vision." Easy there Mike, that quote will come up in the next negotiations! Don't encourage them!

Golf Channel early round coverage of the first two tournaments of the PGA TOUR Playoffs – The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship – and its branded coverage of the third and final rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship on NBC have set several ratings milestones, creating a wave of ratings momentum heading into the final two Playoff events of the 2012 season. These record audiences continue to contribute to making Golf Channel the fastest-growing network on U.S. television among those serving more than 80 million households.

· Round two of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Golf Channel (1.5/1,526,000) was the highest-rated and most-watched early round for this event ever (2003-2012) and was 84 percent higher than the same round in 2010, the last time Tiger Woods played in the event. It also was the second-most-watched Playoff early round in the history of the FedExCup (best was round two of the 2007 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola (1.9/1,721,000).

· Metered market overnight ratings for third round coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship on NBC (2.5) was up 67 percent over the same round in 2011 (+47% versus 2010) and the best since 2007 (2.8).

· Golf Channel’s second round coverage of The Barclays (1.4/1,344,000) topped any previous record since the tournament became a Playoff event on Golf Channel in 2007 and was the highest-rated and most-watched early round for this event on cable (1995-2012), including telecasts on ESPN and USA Network. Round two ratings were 58 percent better than round one and also topped the same coverage in 2011 by 116 percent.