No matter what you think about TGL after Wednesday’s opening match, one thing is certain: the new league had people talking. And now we know plenty of people were watching as well.
ESPN released strong viewership numbers for America from its broadcast from the SoFi Center (Australian viewership figures on Fox Sports and Kayo are still to be released). Overall, the network attracted an average audience of 919,000 for the two-hour telecast with that number peaking at 1.1 million between 9:15 and 9:30pm, local time.
What does this mean? It’s tough to find an apples-to-apples comparison, but as @YeahClickClack noted on Twitter, TGL outdrew the Duke vs Pitt men’s college basketball game that was shown in the 7-9pm timeslot leading into TGL.
🚨TGL VIEWERSHIP🚨
9P TGL – 919,000 viewers on ESPN
Big audience, especially compared to 751,000 for Duke/PITT CBB lead-in @ 7P.@JoshACarpenter @NoLayingUp https://t.co/cTDo9G3nld
— @YeahClickClack (@YeahClickClack) January 8, 2025
To make two golf comparisons, TGL’s debut doubled the viewership of the final-round coverage of the PGA Tour’s season opener in Hawaii on Golf Channel. And it was more than 10 times what LIV’s season-ending individual championship drew on the CW network last September. Although, again, not perfect comparisons with those being broadcast on Sundays and not all in American prime time.
Regardless, TGL and ESPN executives have to be happy with these initial results – especially given that the opening match wasn’t particularly competitive, with Bay Golf Club easily defeating New York Golf Club, 9-2.
What also has to be encouraging to those involved is that neither Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy, two the league’s founders along with Mike McCarley, participated. Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club will take on Los Angeles Golf Club next Wednesday (January 15) at 11am (AEDT) in the league’s second match. And Woods will face McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf on January 28 at 10:30am (AEDT).
