Even without a contending Tiger Woods or Phil Mikelson, the PGA Championships--the last major of the season--saw record numbers of video views and unique visitors for the four-day golf championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc..
The final round, which saw Dustin Johnson get hit with a two-stroke penalty for illegally grounding his club in a sand trap, costing him a shot at being part of a three-hole playoff with Bubba Watson and eventual winner Martin Kaymer, saw huge numbers; Sunday's numbers totaled a record-breaking 4.8 million total video (live plus on-demand) streams during the final round and playoff, a whopping 689 percent increase from 2009 and a 31 percent increase from Saturday's previous record of 3.6 million streams.
Over the course of the four-day event, the site drove more than 11.9 million total video streams (live plus on-demand), a 250 percent increase over last year. There were, on average, 1.7 million average daily uniques, a 24 percent increase from 2009, also a record for the PGA Championship.
The PGA has partnered with Turner Sports in a multi-year alliance since 2002. The two organizations recently expanded the deal through 2019 to include licensing with Turner's Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) serving as the PGA's licensing agent in the youth marketplace.
Turner Sports has been aggressively leveraging sporting events online, on mobile platforms and via broadcast channels. In addition to professional golf, its line-up includes NASCAR, the NBA, Major League Baseball, and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
For more:
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