Episode 13: The Match on TNT EXPLODES

On episode thirteen of the Shack Show, Geoff Shackelford delivers a take on the huge ratings in the Champions for Charity Match on TNT and describes how this broadcast could be the bridge to change in the future.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Shack Show is a production of I Heart Radio. Well,
hopefully you had an incredible, wonderful, safe, and enjoyable Memorial
Day weekend. I think some executives at Turner and some

(00:22):
of the brain trust behind the mats certainly had a
great Memorial Day weekend. As the ratings rolled in on
the holiday Monday, it turns out that the match Champions
for Charity featuring Tiger Woods, philm Michelson, Peyton Manning and
Tom Brady, scored the biggest rating in the history of
golf on cable television. In fact, it absolutely blew away

(00:46):
the previous high four point million four point nine million
average viewers for the first round of the two thousand
and ten Masters on ESPN. You may recall that was
when Tiger was returning after a little bit of time away,
and there were quite a few eyeballs on that week.
And yet yesterday and a miserable, awful, metalist golf club,

(01:11):
horrible weather. Nobody probably wanted to be out there. It
rained the whole time, it was dreary, it was awful
half the time, The cameras had water all over the lens.
You couldn't see very well. The sound went out a lot.
It was really calling for something that should have been
a disaster, and yet at its peak, six point three

(01:32):
million viewers were watching five point eight million viewers averaged
over that five and a half hours on TBS, t N,
T True TV, and HLN going for that total audience
delivery number, and that makes it the the largest golf
audience ever on cable TV. Think about that. Now, that's
gonna be an incredible story for a number of reasons. Obviously,

(01:58):
there is a country in a world star for some
entertainment and that was a factor. But the week before,
on a Sunday, the total audience was two point three
million for the Taylor Made Relief Fund event featuring Rory McElroy,
Dustin Johnson, Ricky Fowler, and Matthew Wolf at Seminole on

(02:19):
a beautiful day, well promoted, including on NBC. On the network,
which usually we see in these numbers, a network just
almost guarantees that a couple of people left their television
on and the number gets a little bit bigger automatically.
That did not happen in this case. These were all
cable outlets, and I think this number is going to

(02:42):
fundamentally change the way golf is seen by television executives
and I think fans, and I'm not quite sure that
people have realized what exactly just took place, and the
shock waves are are staggering. One. Of course, you then
combine it with everything that's going on in the world,

(03:06):
and when you look at some of the things that
have been on television in this time, there hasn't been
much in the way of sports. But other than the
bizarre infatuation with the NFL Draft and the ESPN documentary
the Last Dance in the first NASCAR race back, the
audience for this event was right behind those and and

(03:26):
really right with them essentially in terms of the number
of people. It is also kind of staggering since last
year in the major championships, UH this event outrated the
b J Championship and the Open Championship. The previous match

(03:47):
was certainly a success, but it was a pay per
view situation where there were technical issues and but there
were enough signs that that that had them wanting to
come back, having the organizers and Tiger and Field put
the US together and wanting to do this. But I
really I just don't think they could have imagined that
the rating would be this and of course it raised
twenty million dollars for charity, and that number is ultimately

(04:11):
the most important. But in the first world of golf,
in the business of golf, in the world that is
wondering what the future is for golf on television and
how this will all work, this match is going to
really make some people think. So let's pick apart a
couple of elements, because I don't want to let this

(04:34):
moment pass. I think there's a lot that we need
to to consider in terms of of reading the right
things into this and not reading too much into two
other things. And now a word from our sponsors. Let's

(05:00):
first look at the actual telecast itself and how that
might impact the way people think. You know it was.
It was certainly not perfect, and nobody expected to be perfect.
With weather that awful, kind of a strange situation with
physical distancing, We just don't quite know all of the
different precautions that had to be taken, and then you

(05:22):
throw in all this rain and the attempts to take
advantage of a foresome were really kind of spotty, but
when they were on, they were incredible. They took a
situation like the carts and the players in carts, which
I just just had nightmares about how that would look,
and actually made it look kind of fun, even though

(05:44):
sometimes when they would try to try to talk to
the player while they were zooming off the tea and
don't tell me those things were those were normal, normal
golf carts in the speed department that we the player
couldn't hear the questions coming from them, and it looked
like they were freezing them out. It was kind of
fun to watch that, even and just to kind of
see the player alone in their thought as they're driving

(06:04):
off the tea, and it just was better than the
vision of watching grown men in in carts, you know.
Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post, daughter of of Dan
and great sports columnists, wrote a very positive piece and
and one of the things she noted, she obviously said
that wasn't quite up to the Daytona level of of
being in the car and a NASCAR race, but it

(06:27):
did give us a chance to see these people in
a little bit different way. And then she noted as
well that the silence of this broadcast without fans allowed
us to hear the players better allowed Phil Mickelson, who
was just totally on his game as an entertainer to
be heard to really encourage the players to talk. The

(06:48):
announcers did a great job, almost too much so early
in the broadcast, staying laying out as they say in television,
and not wanting to to talk over the players. There
was almost too much silence. But as things progressed, they
were I think pretty incredible at the way they were
able to step in and not talk over the conversation.
But it really highlighted this notion. You know, after the

(07:11):
Taylor Made Driving relief event at some of all, a
lot of people said, well, there you go, that's why
we can't have fans um at the Ryder Cup this
year and think it's gonna be worthwhile television, and now
I have no doubt watching this that if in fact
the economic situation requires that the Ryder Cup be played,

(07:33):
or there's a sense that we want a competition like that,
an exhibition between uh the United States and Europe and
to have something that is a little bit less about
money and and normal tournament golf and something that brings
people together, that a Ryder Cup without people would work.

(07:54):
Because the people in television can do some amazing things
with sound and hearing the player. His talk was really interesting. Now, granted,
we're talking about two of the greatest golfers of all
time and two of the grads football players of all time,
who are all, I would say, people who are more
than capable of thinking on their own and and are

(08:15):
certainly and especially in the case of Peyton Manning and
Phil Mickelson, and quite uh chatty and and quite enjoyable
to listen to. Tiger got in his licks and his moments,
as did Tom Brady, who was was clearly struggling early
and and getting a little angry. He could tell he
was turning a little red, but he really held it

(08:36):
together and contributed a couple of the great viral moments
that the ripping of the pants, the hoholing of the shot,
and and and he just gave people so much joy
seeing that here, this this perfect athlete, the perfect American man,
was still humbled by the game of golf. And that
was that was wonderful to see. And for probably the
audience of people who we're tuning in because they just

(08:59):
are interested in sports, that added another fascinating component component
the the the whole thing paced horribly with best ball.
As I noted in a blog post rounding us up,
and when they went to alternate shot on the back
nine modified alternate shot where they all hit t shots
and then and then UM played alternate shot from there,

(09:19):
the pace was just so much better. It's it's just
a great format. Best ball is really kind of overrated
and it takes way too long anyhow, So I think
the thing that that is really going to blow people
away as they ponder this number and the intrigue and
the ability of the audience to stay interested despite only

(09:40):
four golfers, to not having other holes to go watch
and other things to do, and and a weird intermission
between nines UM, but otherwise, you know, the normal amount
of things you would expect like we had the week
before in terms of promotional stuff and all that, that
the audience stayed with it, that it worked, that it
was entertaining if you went on social media. Compared to

(10:02):
the Taylor made Driver relief event, where the the the
enthusiasm really dropped off when Bill Murray and Donald Trump
came on in different points and both just were on
way too long and kind of we're buzz kills and
took away from the golf. This one the people who
popped in the A Rod and Russell William Russell Wilson

(10:23):
moments were I mean, they weren't perfect, but they didn't
they didn't drag on. So they really had all the
same kinds of things to get the fundraising going, and
yet the whole thing moved much better. And I think
ultimately you have to look at the at the way
this will impact broadcasting because Charles Barkley brings something. He

(10:47):
brings a comedic element of relaxation, elements, something that that
that golf broadcast booths just don't have anymore. And and
really with Johnny Miller's retirement, it is now a full
fledged cheerleading effort from the booth, and it is really
discouraged by some element that's out there floating, whether it's

(11:11):
a tour of the networks or some combination that puts
a scare into people from having a little bit of fun,
maybe trying something a little bit different now and then
saying something that is unexpected. And so when you had Barkley,
they're combined with Justin Thomas, who was just incredibly gifted
as an on course reporter. You know they always say,

(11:32):
oh put him out either as an on course reporter. Well,
that's really, to me one of the hardest jobs in
golf because you have to be succinct, you have to
get in and out. It's very easy too, when you
haven't done television to do a bunch of uzz and
ums and likes and fillers. And he did none of that.
He knew the golf course well, so that was wonderful.
He knew the players well, He had no problem throwing

(11:53):
out a few few jabs here and there, and then
he had a great traffic chop cop and Brian Ranerson,
who didn't try to do anything spectacular, let all the
different elements kind of uh do their thing and and
speak for themselves. And overall you just felt like there
was this this more relaxed vibe to the whole thing

(12:15):
that you just don't get anymore. And I think that's
something that really has to be reviewed soon because I
hear it over and over again and I certainly know
it watching golf tournaments. You just don't feel any longer
like anybody can express an opinion that everything is about
telling you how wonderful everybody is. And and the ratings
that have gone along with that haven't been very good.

(12:36):
So people are saying speaking in their ways with their
UH their remote control that that no, they don't want
somebody to that to completely bash the players and question
every single move. But you just have to have some unpredictability,
You have to have some constructive criticism and and lack

(12:57):
of fear of being able to question a decision and
about going for a part five and two or whatever
it is that UH is part of the moment and
and needing to be called out when when required in
a golf broadcast. And I really felt like T n
t S presentation, while obviously an exhibition, it just felt good.

(13:18):
You felt like you were watching it with with with
fans and and fellow UH people, intrigued of fans like yourself.
And I think that's a wonderful thing, and unfortunately is
is increasingly lost, and so many of these broadcasts either
because again of the fair factor, or there's just so
many plugs and different favors that have to be returned

(13:40):
that that a broadcast just becomes one giant infommercial. So
that's something that will be reviewed and considered and going
by the social media, hopefully will be noticed in the
executive branches of golf. And I think that silent element too,
that that showed that you did not need a crowd
to make it work will really get some attention as well.

(14:04):
Not having caddies. I don't think the caddies were going
to be two thrilled with two weeks in a row
where nobody really missed him. And it was great fun
watching the guys deal with their carts and the rain.
They handled it beautifully. I I just it just looked absolutely,
absolutely miserable out there. So okay, so that's number one.
With the telecast and the ratings, we will get the

(14:26):
final numbers, but there's no question. It's just not even close.
It's it. It almost tripled the tailor made event and
it uh is well over or excuse me, just at
a million almost a million more people than the biggest
golf cable telecast ever. And that's a master's With Tiger
Woods coming back, let's take a brief pause from the

(14:48):
Shack Show and here from our sponsors. The other thing
highlighted is the star power still that remains with Tiger
Woods and Phil Nicholson, at least from a golf point
of view, and obviously Tom Brady and Peyton manning your legends.

(15:11):
But golf has been pushing very hard to get the
next star, the next young star, and it's kind of
forgotten that these guys still move the needle, these these legends,
and how lucky we are in our sport, just like
in tennis, to have some longevity with these incredible names
and incredible presences, and and the the rush to get

(15:35):
that next young star, I think is problematic on the
number of levels, especially when the numbers keep telling you
that that that certain people aren't moving the needle like
we're told they are. And I hope this is a
bit of a wake up call down in Pontovidra, where
where if anybody's over the age of thirty five, they

(15:55):
just they just aren't interested in them. You can see
it in the you can see it in the social media,
you can see it in the way things are portrayed.
They love young leaderboards, they're desperate to get the average
age dan and they've just forgotten that when you when
you actually sit down and watch something and the player's
personality is such a big part of it, like it
is in golf, age doesn't manor it just doesn't matter.

(16:18):
People want an interesting, compelling, charismatic person to watch and
of course Phil Nicholson and Tiger Woods are two of
the all time greats and being people you just you
just want to watch when they're on the screen. And
that's gonna be another element in all this that that
probably will get people's attention when the numbers are just

(16:41):
that stark and that telling about what people enjoyed. So
what does this all mean for the future. Well, you know,
Doug ferguson the ap Rider tweeted yesterday excuse me today
that suspect golf fans look forward to the real thing
in a few weeks. That would be when PGA Tour

(17:02):
scheduled to return, it Colonial and the Charles Trump Challenge.
But he continues, but the tour has a tough act
to follow, the format players and just enough, Justin Thomas
made that a great show in the rain. The tour
is going to come back with expanded fields, no fans,

(17:23):
probably fewer bells and whistles on the television front, a
huge emphasis on resuming the FedEx Cup chase that nobody
cares about, that nobody has missed, nobody will miss ever
in this lifetime. Uh, they will be focused on the

(17:44):
excitement that we should be feeling that all these people
are back playing and we will feel it, but full
fields um. The inability to kind of go inside the
ropes like we just did with these two exhibit Sians,
even without fans, without that energy, was really something special.

(18:05):
And I'm just gonna be very curious what the numbers
look like and what people say after watching something like
this where even a flawed broadcast with with with the
lens half the time, you couldn't even see what was
going on. It just they brought you there, and kudos
to everybody who worked so hard to make that happen.

(18:27):
They took you there. It was so different and and
you felt like you were just part of the group,
and that's just something that you have to try and
capture going forward with future golf. And it's why the
model of the PGA Tour broadcast and golf is problematic

(18:49):
and needs to be reviewed. And many people have been
trying to say that, well, now the numbers are there
to say, hey, now, granted, this was an exhibition and
it feature four legends and we're in the middle of
the pandemic and there's not much to watch, but the
week before we had four supposedly uh, really high profile

(19:11):
young stars, and uh, the numbers were you know, almost
the third of what the match delivered, and that tells
you something that that there is still something to be
said for star power, but also for something about the
way the golf is brought to you. And so I
think now everything is on the table. The future of

(19:32):
linear TV cable TV is very much in question, um
in part because of things that are totally out of
its control and business models and all those things in economics.
But there are things that are in the control of
those who make all the decisions and run these tours,

(19:54):
and if they do not learn the lessons from this match,
it will be very disappointing. Because all you have to
do is go on Twitter and see the enthusiasm, see
the excitement as it played out, but then also to
see these numbers, see the way golf was seen as
an enjoyable thing to watch, and for many different reasons,

(20:15):
obviously one of those being that that two great athletes
came and we got to see them humanized. And then
we also got to see two Tiger Woods and Phil
Mickelson at their very best. And again this was on
a on a very forgettable golf course, on a forgettable
day just kind of the golf course was really not

(20:35):
a big part of the show, and that's okay too sometimes,
but sometimes you're you're gonna need the golf course to
be a big part of it. So I will be
very curious and monitoring closely how people react to this
and react to these numbers. But I can tell you
with great confidence that the people with money, the people

(20:57):
with the ability to influence where things go, are going
to notice this. And there are concepts out there floating
right now that aimed to and and aimed well before
this match, to whittle down the size of the field
to bring something that's a little more condensed, something a

(21:18):
little more personal, something emphasizing the use of modern technology
to incorporate betting, like it or not, which is coming.
And they are going to be very bullish now after
watching this match and seeing the reaction, seeing the younger audience,
the coveted young demo swooning over this too, which is

(21:42):
going to be increasingly less important going forward as advertising
becomes less important and trying to get the average age
viewer down and the model shifts towards possibly subscription based
or pay per view. So Apple all these things together
and I happen to believe that the match that just

(22:05):
was played will turn out to be a major, major
moment in the history of televised golf and the way
we watch golf going forward. So stay tuned for more
analysis in the coming days and weeks on my site,
Jeff shackle Ford dot com, and of course all over
the golf spectrum. It will be very fascinating to monitor

(22:25):
what people say about this, and of course then coupling
in all of the things going on in the world
and what this will mean for the sport that we
all love and enjoy watching. So thank you for listening
to these thoughts against Jeff shackle for dot com. I've
got a blog post up and all sorts of notes
and and and beds and tweets and all sorts of

(22:47):
fun stuff from the match, so I hope to check
that out as well, and I'll talk to you soon.
The shack Show is a production of our Heart Radio.
For more podcast from my heart Radio, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
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much for listening to the Chat Show.