Final round Masters ratings were the highest in three years, if still below what used to be the norm.
Sunday’s final round of the Masters golf tournament averaged a 5.8 rating and 10.17 million viewers on CBS, marking the highest rated and most-watched golf telecast on any network since Tiger Woods’ victory in the same tournament three years ago (6.9, 10.81M).
Scottie Scheffler’s win, which averaged 12.44 million over the final hour and peaked at 13.16 million from 6:45-7 PM ET, increased 6% in ratings and 7% in viewership over last year (5.5, 9.54M) and 71% and 80% respectively from the months-delayed November Masters two years ago (3.4, 5.64M). (Those prior figures include corrected Nielsen out-of-home viewership.)
It should be noted that the numbers remain historically low for the Masters. The 5.8 rating is the fourth-lowest on record for final round coverage, ahead of only the past two years and 1957. Even with out-of-home providing a lift, viewership also ranks as the third-lowest dating back to at least 1994.
Third round coverage on Saturday averaged a 4.3 and 7.43 million, also the highest since 2019 (5.5, 8.63M).
As previously reported, the first and second rounds on ESPN were both the most-watched since 2018. The final audience for Friday’s second round improved from a preliminary count of 3.5 million to 3.88 million, narrowly trailing 2018 (3.91M).
Keep in mind figures do not include the Masters Live streaming service. CBS said in a Tuesday press release that this year’s Masters ranked as the most-streamed golf tournament ever on its streaming platforms — Paramount+ and the CBS Sports app and website — but that does not include coverage on Masters Live or ESPN+. Exact figures were not disclosed.
Masters final round ratings, viewership, past 25 years
[Nielsen estimates from CBS Sports, ESPN, ShowBuzz Daily 4.12]
