TGL is two episodes deep into its second campaign but I’m not sure many of you have noticed.
The first episode, airing on a Sunday afternoon on ABC, drew an average of 646,000 viewers. Last season’s opener, which was on ESPN, drew 919,000 on a Tuesday night.
And then the second episode, played on a Friday night on ESPN2, had 354,000 viewers. Last season’s second episode, which had Tiger Woods, drew just over one million.
The viewership numbers for the first two matches of this current season come from Nielsen Big Data + Panel research while last year’s ratings came via panel data only. Basically, the difference is even more drastic than it appears, by about five percent or so.
If you are a TGL defender, you will point out how the first episode of this season (sans Justin Thomas due to injury) went up against an NFL Sunday, a time slot TGL took to get on ABC where a wider audience is available. And the second episode is actually a 17 percent increase compared to last season’s matches broadcast on ESPN2. Having McIlroy instead of Woods explains most of the difference.
When TGL gets a few more episodes down the line, we’ll get a more accurate reading of where the league stands.
But if you are a TGL hater (or just apathetic towards simulator golf), you might say all of this is starting to smell fishy. “Fishy” as in TGL has been poorly marketed and the audience isn’t buying into it.
You might say the novelty of this experiment has already worn off significantly—and the remaining supporters are more influencers (with a stake in the game) rather than the casual golf fan.
Who is right?
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle
It’s a mixed bag for TGL.
Keep in mind the ratings have always been targeting a high-floor, low-ceiling return. ESPN wants inventory for time slots that historically have performed modestly like a random college basketball game on a Tuesday night in January.
Being on ESPN and having a few marquee players involved will likely keep TGL going for as long as its rich backers want to support it.
This is not anything like LIV which has lost hundreds of millions running golf tournaments. TGL has only a fraction of the operating cost and the league is built for fairly modest ratings (and TGL’s ratings are still much higher than LIV’s, regardless).
Having said that, it’s hard to argue that TGL has much hype at the moment.
I didn’t see a single commercial/social media ad for TGL leading up to the first match nor did I notice many people talking about it. I forgot they were starting until I randomly came across the second match.
One common refrain I’ve heard is people are much more likely to watch YouTube golf if they want to consume golf entertainment in this alternative category. It’s more engaging so that’s a fair criticism.
I’ve been middle-of-the-road on TGL. I’ve enjoyed certain moments and Instagram highlights but have struggled to get invested on more than a superficial basis.
I can’t say I’m a TGL hater. It’s kind of a cool concept and I don’t mind watching bits and pieces.
But does it get me fired up? I don’t think so.
If you thought TGL was a tough sell
Earlier this week, it was announced that TGL is adding a second league with LPGA Tour pros. The WTGL will begin next winter.
This feels like a classic “answer to a question nobody was asking” situation.
It’s great the women are getting a platform here. I love that there is more money going into their pockets.
However, why wouldn’t they just be added into the existing TGL league where they have their own teams competing against the men?
That is something I would be more interested in watching.
To be honest, I rarely watch LPGA Tour golf. I don’t know the characters well enough to say I would suddenly be interested in a simulator league with only women golfers. I barely know them well enough to watch the LPGA majors.
This is no knock on women’s golf which is often a better watch than the men. Hand up, it’s my fault for not watching more. I’m just saying it’s going to be hard to rally people around a women-only sim league.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on TGL and WTGL. What do you think?
Top Photo Caption: TGL is off to a slow start this season. (GETTY IMAGES/Cliff Hawkins)
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The hype meter is low.
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