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Tiger Woods still a winner for advertisers

Sally Herships Apr 5, 2012

Jeremy Hobson: The Masters golf tournament starts today, and Tiger Woods is back on the heels of his first PGA win in two years.

As Sally Herships reports, TV executives are counting on Tiger to pump up the ratings.


Sally Herships: Tiger Woods — what’s a golf fan supposed to do with you? Look away, or watch? Woods just won his first PGA tour in over two years.

Neal Pilson: This obviously excites just about everyone.

Neal Pilson is past president of CBS Sports, which airs the Masters.

Pilson: It excites his fans, the casual viewers that follow Tiger, and of course the television network executives at CBS.

Pilson says when Woods is playing the ratings shoot up 30 to 40 percent. On top of that, at Augusta, Tiger Woods will have to take on a younger version of himself: Rory McIlroy. For advertisers, it’s a hole in one.

Ed Horne: Any time you can create a match up where people are curious that’s good for ratings, that’s good for spending, it’s good for the advertising community.

Ed Horne works for marketing firm Madison Avenue Sports. He says the audience that watches golf is older and wealthy. But Tiger Woods attracts younger viewers too — another win for advertisers.

In New York, I’m Sally Herships for Marketplace.

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