The television networks already know what life without Tiger Woods looks like, and they were going to take that knowledge into their upcoming negotiations for the next contract with the PGA Tour.
The tour's six-year deals with CBS and NBC expire in 2012, and negotiations are expected to begin late next year.
Knee surgery sidelined Woods for eight months after his stirring win at the 2008 U.S. Open, slicing television ratings in half while he was gone. During the last round of negotiations, NBC focused on securing rights to tournaments that Woods was likely to play, said Steve Sternberg, former research chief at Interpublic's media services arm Magna.
By the time the negotiations start, the networks might have a better sense of the scenario, good or bad. If Woods has already returned to the tour, they'll be able to gauge the effect of the scandal on ratings and his level of play. The longer he stays out, the more uncertainty will permeate the negotiations.
"If Tiger returns to golf and performs well, ratings will remain high," Sternberg wrote in an e-mail. "But if he is not back yet, it will definitely impact how much the networks will be willing to pay."
CBS and NBC declined comment.
Meanwhile, global consulting firm Accenture Ltd. has ended its relationship with Woods, marking the first major sponsor to cut ties altogether with the golfer since his alleged infidelities surfaced and he announced an indefinite leave from the sport to work on his marriage.
In its first statement since the Woods' scandal erupted, Accenture said Sunday the golfer is "no longer the right representative" after the "circumstances of the last two weeks." The move ends a six-year relationship during which the firm credited its "Go on, be a Tiger" campaign with boosting its image significantly. Accenture has used Woods to personify its claimed attributes of integrity and high performance.
"After careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising," Accenture said.
The firm plans to immediately transition to a new advertising campaign, with a major effort scheduled to launch later in 2010. An Accenture spokeswoman declined to comment further. Advertising firm Young&Rubicam, which has handled the company's Tiger Woods ads, also would not comment on the move.
Accenture's advertising campaign was almost entirely built around Woods and his success, portraying his ability to key putt or chip out of the rough. If Woods had acknowledged mistakes and said he would be back in a month, Accenture might be able to ride it out, said Rick Burton, a professor of sports management at Syracuse University.
But Accenture can't afford to wait for what could be a long time before Woods returns.
"They had tied everything in their campaign to Tiger Woods it appeared," he said. "If he's not golfing, those ads don't make sense."
While not terminating their relationship completely, another major Woods sponsor pulled away this weekend. On Saturday, Gillette, which uses the slogan "The best a man can get," said it won't air advertisements featuring Woods or include him in public appearances for an unspecified amount of time.
However, other sponsors continue to stick with Woods for the time being.
Electronic Arts, whose EA Sports division has been selling Tiger Woods video golf games for a decade, said Sunday, "We respect that this is a very difficult, and private, situation for Tiger and his family. At this time, the strategy for our Tiger Woods PGA TOUR business remains unchanged."
