2024 has been a tough one for the PGA Tour so far in terms of viewing figures in the USA, with the trend almost exclusively following a concerning spiral towards apathy.
Failing to follow on from what was deemed a strong 2023 with plenty of interest in its Elevated or Signature Events, nearly every tournament on the PGA Tour in the subsequent year has suffered from fewer and fewer fans tuning in. Often between 10-20%, but Peter Malnati’s victory at the Valspar Championship saw a 27% dip on Sunday.
A week before, even Scottie Scheffler‘s narrow success at The Players Championship was victim to a 700,000 person falloff compared to the same man’s stroll to the title 12 months earlier.
Speaking ahead of the Valero Texas Open, Rory McIlroy admitted he was concerned about the pattern.
He said: “I know this isn’t a be-all, end-all, but if you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they’re down 20 percent across the board. That’s a fifth. That’s big.
NBC viewing figures were 27% down on the Sunday of Peter Malnati’s win at the Valspar Championship compared to 12 months earlier
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“That’s where I said like things need a correction and things are unsustainable because I’m close with NBC and the people that really care about these things and the people that tune in to watch golf. You know, 20% is a pretty jarring number this year.
“I would say the numbers on LIV aren’t great either in terms of the people tuning in. I just think with the fighting and everything that’s went on over the past couple years, people are just getting really fatigued of it and it’s turning people off men’s professional golf, and that’s not a good thing for anyone.”
Yet, with Major season tantalisingly close – a period which should give a more accurate insight into how TV audiences really feel about the game – there was a glimmer of hope presented to PGA Tour and NBC Sports bosses at last week’s TPC San Antonio event.
According to Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter, “Sunday’s final round of the Valero Texas Open drew 1.953M viewers on NBC, up 21% from last year.”
With streaming included, NBC’s number for Sunday was at 2.3M. Coverage peaked at 4.4M between 615-630.April 9, 2024
Carpenter also said: “With streaming included, NBC’s number…
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