In sharp contrast to the overall trend this season, the Masters opened at a nine-year viewership high.
Thursday’s opening round of the Masters averaged 3.17 million viewers on ESPN, marking the tournament’s largest opening round audience since 2015 (3.22M). (Keep in mind out-of-home viewing was not tracked in Nielsen final nationals prior to 2020.)
Since ESPN began carrying the Masters in 2008 (it previously aired on USA Network), only 2015, 2009 (3.37M) and 2010 (4.94M) rank higher. The 2010 Masters was Tiger Woods’ first tournament since a much-publicized scandal.
For the season, the opening round of the Masters ranks third in viewership to the final rounds of at Riviera on CBS in February (3.25M) and The Players Championship on NBC in March (3.53M).
Viewership increased 26% from last year’s opening round (2.51M) and 12% from 2022 (2.82M).
Golf viewership has been on the decline to start 2024, the third year of an internecine conflict between the PGA Tour and its Saudi-backed competitor LIV. The Masters is the first tournament of the season to include a full field of PGA Tour and LIV players, which may explain why it has — through one day at least — bucked the trend.
Another factor may have been the early rain that pushed back much of the first round. ESPN would not have been affected by the morning rains, as it came on air at 3 PM ET, but it likely benefited from having Tiger Woods not tee off until nearly 4 PM.
