Masters First Round Up Big, But Behind Tiger’s Previous Appearance

Masters ratings soared, as expected, but Thursday’s opening round was no match for the last time Tiger Woods played the event.

Thursday’s opening round of The Masters had a 2.0 rating and 2.97 million viewers on ESPN, up a third in ratings and 40% in viewership from last year (1.5, 2.1M) and up 18% and 24% respectively from 2016 (1.7, 2.4M). Figures include streaming viewership and are compared to previous TV-only numbers.

Compared to 2015, the last time Woods played the event, ratings actually declined 9% and viewership 8% from a 2.2 and 3.2 million.

Even so, Thursday’s telecast trailed only 2015 as the highest rated and most-watched first round of The Masters since 2010 (3.4, 4.9M). The 2010 telecast marked Woods’ first PGA Tour appearance since his November 2009 car accident and ensuing scandal.

Thursday’s telecast pulled a 0.55 rating in adults 18-49, up 25% from last year (0.44) and up 10% from 2016 (0.50), but no match for the last Woods year in 2015 (0.8).

For the day, The Masters was the most-watched program on all of cable. It ranked fourth in adults 18-49, behind TNT’s Wizards-Cavaliers NBA game (0.61) and two episodes of an MTV reality show.

First Round Masters Ratings, Viewership, Past Decade

[Thu. numbers from ESPN, ShowBuzz Daily 4.6]