Even after his prolonged decline, Tiger Woods‘ absence still resonates in the television ratings.
First round coverage of The Masters drew a 1.7 rating and 2.4 million viewers on ESPN Thursday afternoon, per Nielsen fast-nationals — down 23% in ratings and 26% in viewership from last year (2.2, 3.2M) but up 13% and 20%, respectively, from 2014 (1.5, 2.0M).
The telecast exceeds only 2014 as the lowest rated and least-watched opening round of The Masters since ESPN acquired rights (dates back to 2008). Both this year and in 2014, Woods did not play. By contrast, last year’s tournament — which marked the end of a lengthy Woods hiatus — was the highest rated and most-watched opening round since 2010.
Locally, Minneapolis-St. Paul (3.2), Charlotte (3.0) and Buffalo (3.0) were the highest rated markets, with West Palm Beach and Norfolk rounding out the top five (2.9 in each).
Ratings and viewership peaked at a 2.0 and 2.7 million from 5:30-6 PM ET. Viewership data does not include the WatchESPN app, which scored 40,100 viewers per minute for its streaming coverage (+3%).
(Thu. numbers from ESPN Media Zone)
