BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Bassmasters TV Show, one of the newest fishing programs in the lineup of the fast-growing Pursuit Channel, delivered an immediate impact, Pursuit and B.A.S.S. announced in a joint statement.
During January, when the long-running Bassmasters show debuted during weekend mornings, Pursuit Channel reached 1.9 million viewers, up 6 percent year to year. The Channel also saw an increase in reach with adults 25-54 by 21 percent.
“Bassmaster proves once again it is the destination for anglers looking for excitement and the next tactic to improve their angling ability,” said Rusty Faulk, CEO of Pursuit Channel. “The Bassmasters TV program is consistently among the top-rated programming on Pursuit Channel. This should be no surprise to anyone as it is the authority on bass fishing.”
“We had high expectations that The Bassmasters would resonate with outdoor sports enthusiasts who subscribe to Pursuit Channel,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “But the viewership numbers were more than double our projections, and these were for previously aired shows featuring some of our current Elite Series anglers.”
B.A.S.S. and Pursuit Channel signed a multiyear agreement late last year providing for 26 episodes of Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic programming to be aired on Saturdays in the first half of each year, with those shows repeating the following Sunday mornings and at other times during the week.
“The first and second quarters are key times to air fishing programming on television,” said Mike McKinnis, vice president of media content of JM Associates and producer of Bassmaster LIVE and The Bassmasters. “That’s when avid anglers are fishing, and thinking about fishing, and stocking up on the latest lures and tackle items.”
“This strong and growing audience of hardcore sportfishing enthusiasts tuning in on the Pursuit Channel, combined with the many competition-minded sports fans following us on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic, means we are reaching a powerful and diverse group of fans and consumers,” Akin added. “The additional exposure on Pursuit Channel is helping tens of thousands more fishing fans to get to know and admire our Elite Series anglers and their sponsors. And it’s great to see that those fans have become such loyal followers of The Bassmastersso quickly.”
The Bassmasters, currently entering its 35th season, covers the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series and its 10-event national tour. Original shows will continue to air on ESPN2, as they have for 20 years.
Pursuit Channel reaches the largest universe of true HD homes and is active nationally via DIRECTV HD, AT&T HD, DISH Network, Fios by Verizon HD and Centurylink Prism HD, Cox Communication and National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC). Since subscribing to Nielsen for its reporting early in 2018, Pursuit added more than 4 million households. In addition, PursuitUp is the only outdoor network with a free digital platform featuring VOD of all episodes that previously aired live on the channel. The PursuitUp app can be downloaded on ROKU, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone and Androids.
**Source: Nielsen; Pursuit Channel; Live +3Days; Dec 31, 2018- January 27, 2019 or as dated; Sat-Sun 9A-4P; NPower: Total Reach based on 1 minute qualifier.