When I first heard that NBC was going to broadcast the U.S. Open Championship in prime time, I thought that if Tiger Woods was anywhere close to the top of the leaderboard it would be a great bet. Well, it was such a great gamble that I wouldn't be shocked if we saw more of this in the future.
Looking at the numbers, it looks like we're going to see more of this stuff.
NBC, in the 7-9 pm ET time period yesterday, averaged a 11.4 overnight rating. That meant NBC more than doubled the time period's second network, CBS. It also represented the highest overnight rating in that time period since Feb. 24, when ABC broadcast the Oscars. For NBC, it was the highest overnight rating average in that time period since Feb. 19, 2006 during the Winter Olympics.
For the full 3-9 pm broadcast yesterday, NBC's overnight rating was up 21 percent as compared to last year's coverage.
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