GOLF CHANNEL POSTS 8TH STRAIGHT QUARTER OF VIEWERSHIP GROWTH
1st Quarter Millennial Viewership Up 60% over 2 Years, Up 33% vs. 4th Quarter 2016
Golf Channel Digital Posts 40% Increase in Streaming Year-Over-Year, Marking Highest 1st Quarter Ever in Total Live Minutes Streamed
ORLANDO, Fla. (Mar. 31, 2017) - Golf Channel posted its eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year viewership growth with 1st Quarter 2017 drawing 110,000 average viewers in Total Day, +1% vs. 1st Quarter 2016. This marks 19 of 25 quarters of viewership growth since Golf Channel joined NBC Sports Group in 2011. Across 1st Quarter, 20.6 million unique viewers tuned into Golf Channel, increasing to 44.7 million unique viewers across Golf Channel and Golf Channel on NBC telecasts. Golf Channel's millennial viewership in 1st Quarter was +60% vs. two years ago, and + 33% vs. 4th Quarter 2016. Additionally, Golf Channel continued as the most-affluent audience in all of television with the highest median household income among all measured television networks, according to data released by The Nielsen Company.
"Golf Channel's steady audience growth is a reflection of passionate viewers who continue to respond to live, high-quality and engaging content across all platforms," said Mike McCarley, president, Golf, NBC Sports Group. "We aim to continue this momentum into Masters week with the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals on Sunday morning, followed by nearly 90 hours of comprehensive news coverage anchored by Golf Central Live From the Masters, and culminating with our three-night primetime film, Jack."
GOLF CHANNEL DIGITAL POSTS RECORD 1st QUARTER STREAMING
With two days still left in the quarter, Golf Channel marked its highest 1st Quarter ever in total live minutes streamed with nearly 73 million, +40% vs. 1st Quarter 2016. This is the second-highest quarter ever, behind only 3rd Quarter 2016, which featured the network's first-ever live coverage of The Open.
SEASON 7 OF FEHERTY OFF TO HOT START:
Season 7 of the recently announced Sports Emmy-nominated series Feherty posted the most-watched and highest-rated episodes ever for a Golf Channel original production. Additionally, the two episodes of Feherty sitting down with Phil Mickelson ranked in the Top-5 for all sports programming across two consecutive Monday nights in March.
GOLF CHANNEL'S MASTERS WEEK PROGRAMMING:
· Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals: Sunday, April 2 8 a.m.-1 p.m. ET
In partnership with the Masters Tournament Foundation, PGA of America and USGA, Golf Channel's fourth year of televising live coverage from Augusta National will highlight each of the 40 boys and 40 girls who have advanced to Augusta National. Golf Channel also will dedicate pre- and post-event coverage on its daily news shows, Golf Central and Morning Drive.
· Golf Central Live From the Masters
On Monday, April 3, Golf Channel will commence its nearly 90 hours of live news and Masters-themed programming, led by the network's signature Golf Central Live From the Masters news coverage, focusing on emerging storylines, analysis, features and guest interviews throughout the week surrounding the first men's major of 2017. Anchoring Golf Central Live From the Masters coverage from Augusta National Golf Club will be Mike Tirico, Rich Lerner and Steve Sands, alongside Brandel Chamblee, David Duval, Colin Montgomerie, Frank Nobilo, Notah Begay, Mark Rolfing, and John Feinstein. Notable guests expected to appear currently include past Masters champions Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and Raymond Floyd.
· Jack: Sunday, April 9 - Tuesday, April 11, 9 p.m. ET
Golf Films' Jack, a three-night television event capturing the comprehensive story of record 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, blends recollections from Nicklaus, as well as his playing competitors, family members, sports legends, business partners and childhood friends. Featuring a collection of nearly 100 interviews, Jack includes appearances from Presidents Donald Trump and George W. Bush, along with other sport "Greats of All-Time" such as Roger Federer, Wayne Gretzky, Richard Petty, Jerry Rice, Nolan Ryan, Annika Sorenstam and Kelly Slater. Narrated by Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor Tom Selleck, Jack utilizes accounts from Nicklaus gathered over the past 18 months and showcases an unprecedented video collection of rarely seen broadcast footage from his record 18 major championship victories.
Sources: All Nielsen data Live+Same Day unless otherwise noted. 2017 (12/26/2016-03/26/2017) vs. 2016 (12/28/15-12/25/16) and. 2015 (12/29/14-12/27/15) as listed, using program based strict half-hour data. Reach totals based on 6-minute qualifier and full-quarter unification. Persons 2+ and Persons 25-34 unless otherwise noted. HHI is against all other full-time Nielsen measured TV networks. Additional details available. Digital Metrics from Adobe Reports & Analytics.
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 to nearly 500 million viewers in 78 countries and nine 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, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Channel Digital and the NBC Sports App, powered by Playmaker Media. 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.
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