14 DAY TRIAL // Over the weekend, Tiger Woods announced that, because of the recent developments in his personal life, he would be taking an indefinite break from golf until he gets his life back in order. The move as unexpected as it will prove to be unwelcome, with industry insiders estimating that golf programs will see ratings drop severely, The Hollywood Reporter informs.
The first signs of what is known as the “Tiger Woods effect” have already started to show, the same publication says. NBC saw ratings plummet with 54 percent for the Chevron World Challenge, which Woods helped found and to which he could not participate. Things are only about to get much worse, with only die-hard fans still sticking around to see a golf tournament, they say.
With this in mind, it’s no wonder people are already talking about Woods killing, with his personal problems, golf tournaments – at least in terms of coverage and reception on television. “Without Woods, televised tournaments are like a major motion picture without a star’s name above the title – rarely do people go to see the flick. Now only die-hard golf fans will watch the tournaments,” Bill Carroll, VP and director of programming at Katz TV Group, says, as cited by THR.
And it’s not just viewers that networks are losing with Woods’ sabbatical, the same report says. Ticket sales, media coverage and sponsor interest are also taking a serious hit with his hiatus, and they’re only to get worse as he continues in isolation and not even making an announcement as regards the period of time he’ll be absent from the scene. Presumably, it will pick up again when he returns, but many speculate that the spike in interest will be only temporary, as the damage is already done and can’t be undone no matter what.
“While there will be keen interest in Tiger’s first tournament back, overall ratings will likely decline as the casual golf viewer who was enticed by Tiger’s personal and professional persona will now most likely view him differently. Indeed, his aura, which defined an era, is gone, and along with that, some viewers,” John Rash, senior VP at Campbell Mithun, says for THR.