Tiger’s Fourth-Straight Win Inspires CBS’ Overnight

CBS earned a 6.2/13 overnight Nielsen rating for yesterday’s final-round coverage of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, up 19% from a 5.2/11 last year. The final round of the event aired via tape delay after it began early due to weather concerns. Tiger Woods won this year’s event in a playoff against Stewart Cink. Woods also won last year’s tournament by one stroke over Chris DiMarco. CBS earned a 3.7/9 overnight for Saturday’s third-round coverage, up 19% from a 3.1/8 in ’05 (THE DAILY).

WEATHER WARNING: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick notes because CBS “chose to show few ‘recorded earlier’ graphics — we saw just two in well over two hours’ viewing — many viewers eventually learned that Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink were in a sudden death playoff, while CBS showed them early in the back nine.” During the tape-delayed broadcast, CBS’ Jim Nantz read promos for PGA.com and CBS SportsLine.com, both of which carried real-time updates of the playoff. Also, NBC reported Woods’ victory “long before it ended on CBS” (N.Y. POST, 8/28). A CBS spokesperson said that the net “aired a graphic containing the words ‘recorded earlier’ when it came on the air.” But in Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes, “I never saw it and neither did TSN, which carried the CBS feed.” A TSN spokesperson said that CBS “told the network a graphic was to be shown, but it didn’t make it.” Zelkovich adds, “Even if one aired at the start of coverage, that isn’t good enough” (TORONTO STAR, 8/28).