"The Tour Championship was the first and only event of this year’s FedEx Cup to have an increase in overnight ratings"

A Sports Media Watch graphic pretty much sums up the dismal ratings news out of East Lake, where the third round managed to out-rate the final round and the weekend was up slightly from last year, something the other events could not claim. So the primary takeway was that this year's Tour Championship was the only playoff event not on the decline despite having Rory McIlroy involved and an eventual winner who really could use the massive winner's prize.

In Case You Missed It: BACK9NETWORK Launches Sept. 29

A longtime reader and very wired-in golf business guy asked me today why Jeff Rude was leaving Golfweek and his Twitter page had disappeared. I explained that the veteran scribe was leaving Golfweek for Back9. The person had no idea what I was referring to when Back9 was mentioned.

So, in the interest of brand recognition, that would be the Back9 Network which I was reminded in an email, launches soon.

The email today on their upcoming DirecTV launch and plea to call your cable provider's best staffers overseas...

BACK9NETWORK Set To Launch On Sept. 29th                  
                                    
Things are rockin' in Hartford, CT as we prepare for the big TV launch on
September 29th!
 
As you may recall, we'll be starting our 24X7 programming on Channel 262 on DIRECTV. The studio will be complete by the end of this week, and our live test phase to refine programming process and procedures will begin next week.
Exciting times!
 
Back9Network will celebrate the golf lifestyle, bringing out the lighter side of the game and showcasing the personalities and characters "outside the ropes" with programming genres that appeal to everyone. Back9 will create over 1,000 hours of original programming in its first year that includes a mix of reality, docu-drama, comedy, animation, documentaries, and entertaining studio programming.
 
Of course, we want everyone to enjoy the unique and entertaining programming that will be featured on Back9, although our initial footprint will be the 20m homes that have DIRECTV. To that end, we have initiated a grass roots marketing plan to assist in our on-going discussions with the other providers like Dish, Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T, etc.
 
You can help by simply going to www.iwantback9network.com, enter your zip code and current provider, and we handle the rest through our auto connect to the provider's website.
 
Thanks for your continued support and we'll keep you up to date on our progress in the next few weeks.                                                                            
                                                                                                                              
Take Care & God Bless...
 
Bill Conwell  
VP - Special Projects

30.9 Million Watch PGA Final Round, Rating Up 30%

The last three PGA Championship final round overnights: 4.4 2013 (Dufner Oak Hill), 3.9 2012 (Rory Kiawah), 4.3 (Keegan Atlanta). Sunday at Valhalla was up 30% (6.0) according to Deadline (thanks reader Pat).  The refusal to move up tee times and finish into east coast prime time was a huge help, as was the dynamic finish.

For Immediate Release from CBS:

ESTIMATED 30.9 MILLION WATCH ALL-OR-PART OF CBS SPORTS’ 2014 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, UP 30% AND HIGHEST IN 5 YEARS
 
Estimated 26.3 Million Watch All-or-Part of Sunday Coverage, Up 48% and Highest in Five Years
 
An estimated 30.9 million viewers (Persons 2+) watched all-or-part* of CBS Sports’ two-day coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship according to Nielsen Media Research, up 30% from last year’s 23.8 million; and up 42% from 21.8 million in 2012 when Rory McIlroy won his first PGA Championship.  The 30.9 million was the highest number of viewers to watch all-or-part of the Network’s weekend coverage in five years (2009; 35.7 million).
 
CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship on Sunday, Aug. 10 was viewed in all-or-part by an estimated total audience of 26.3 million (Person 2+), up 48% from last year’s 17.8 million; and up 58% from 2012’s 16.6 million.
 
This year’s 26.3 million marks the highest number of viewers to watch all-or-part of the Network’s PGA Championship Sunday coverage in five years (2009; 29.0 million; Y.E. Yang won with Tiger Woods finishing second).
 
CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship on Saturday, Aug. 9 was viewed in all-or-part by a total audience of 12.9 million.