The Masters opened with a twelve-year ratings low.
Opening round coverage of The Masters earned a 1.5 fast-national rating and 2.1 million viewers on ESPN, down 12% in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (1.7, 2.4M) and down 32% and 34% respectively from 2015 (2.2, 3.2M).
The telecast tied the lowest rating for any round of The Masters since 2005, matching 2014, and was the second-least watched in at least a decade. Coverage in 2014 had 2.0 million.
Since ESPN began airing The Masters in 2008, four of the five lowest rated and least-watched rounds have come in years when Tiger Woods missed the event.
Despite the low TV numbers, streaming viewership posted a modest increase. Coverage on the WatchESPN app generated 45,000 viewers, up 7% from last year (40K) and a record for the opening round of the event.
Greenville, S.C., led all markets for ESPN’s TV coverage with a 3.4 rating, followed by Orlando (2.9), Norfolk, Va. (2.8), Greensboro, N.C. (2.6) and Jacksonville (2.5).
(Thu. numbers from ESPN Media Zone 4.7)
