PBA Viewership Surges on FOX Sports

Sunday’s PBA Playoffs Championship on FOX Deliver Most-Watched PBA Telecast Since February

LOS ANGELES – Today, FOX Sports announces that viewership of this year’s Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) telecasts has surged through the first five months of 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour competition. To date, 20,923,000 viewers have tuned-in to watch PBA on FOX, FS1, or FS2, including repeats, up +85% over the total audience for the entire 2018 season (11,327,000 viewers).

“The PBA’s move to FOX Sports has revitalized the entire sport,” says PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark. “In this first year of our partnership, we’ve already seen dramatically improved production values, promotion and buzz putting the PBA in its best position in decades. We’re most proud that our players have delivered historic and inspiring action on the lanes and our fans have brought the passion in sold out venues around the country to match.”

“We’re thrilled with the viewership that 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour has delivered this year on FOX Sports across broadcast and wide cable distribution,” says Bill Wanger, FOX Sports EVP, Programming, Live Operations and Research. “The shows have been exciting, the bowlers are captivating and colorful, and crowds enthusiastic. The PBA is quickly becoming must-watch sports television.”

On Sunday, the first-ever PBA Playoffs on FOX delivered 662,000 viewers as Kris Prather captured the championship to claim $100,000, the biggest first-place prize in more than eight years. Sunday’s delivery is +20% better than first-run PBA telecasts averaged on TV in 2018 (553,000 viewers) and ranks as the most-watched PBA telecast since FOX’s February 10, 2019 airing of the PBA Tournament of Champions that delivered 1,132,000 viewers.

Earlier in the season, FOX had the most-watched bowling telecast of any kind on any network since 2005, with the PBA Clash averaging 1.8 million viewers.

FOX Sports coverage of the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour resumes Tuesday, July 16 at 7:00 PM ET on FS1 with the first of three consecutive nights of live coverage of the PBA League Elias Cup finals from Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine.

About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing Fox Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports arm of the FOX Network as well as FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform, Caffeine, jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.

About PBA
Now in its 61st year, the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is an organization of more than 3,000 of the best bowlers from 27 countries who compete in Go Bowling! PBA Tour, PBA International Tour, PBA50 Tour, and PBA, PBA50 and PBA-PWBA Women’s Regional events. In 2019, the PBA enters its 60th consecutive year of nationally-televised competition, reaching bowling fans around the world who follow PBA activities through the PBA Network which includes Xtra Frame on FloBowling, the PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, FOX Sports, FS1 and CBS Sports Network, and the PBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. PBA sponsors include Brunswick, Ebonite International, FloBowling.com, GoBowling.com, MOTIV, 900 Global, PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Game, Storm Products and the United States Bowling Congress, among others. Learn more at www.pba.com.