The first round of The Masters hit multi-year lows in ratings and viewership.
First round coverage of The Masters earned a 1.5 U.S. rating and 2.0 million viewers on ESPN Thursday, down 25% in ratings and 29% in viewership from last year (2.0, 2.9M), and down 25% in both measures from 2012 (2.0, 2.7M).
The telecast ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed round of The Masters since ESPN acquired rights in 2008. Overall, the 1.5 is the lowest for any round since 2005, when second round action drew a 1.3 on USA Network.
Likely contributing to the lower numbers was the absence of Tiger Woods. This year marks the first time since 1994 that Woods has not played in The Masters.
(Thu. numbers from ESPN)
