Though some may have considered it mandatory, Tiger Woods classifies his absence from the PGA Tour to be necessary. Call it what you will, there is no denying one thing: television networks across the nation are welcoming Woods’ return on April 8, when he tees up at the 2010 Masters Tournament.

The Golf Channel will see the bulk of this financial lift, due mainly to the inability of ESPN and CBS to renegotiate their respective deals with the Masters TV Package. However, as television ratings will certainly skyrocket, you can bet the rates on both networks will as well for the remainder of the season (CBS airs another 16 Tour events; ESPN has opening rounds of the U.S. Open).

The Golf Channel’s ad revenue is expected to increase significantly, as it airs 33 of the 37 regular season outings, not to mention 34 hours of pre-and post-round programming.

So while the “Downfall of Tiger” has been dubbed many things, his anticipated “resurrection” will be greeted with open arms by the media—at least for now.