It is steadily becoming a noticeable and concerning pattern for broadcasters covering the PGA Tour of late – viewing figures are on the slide.
A week after Scottie Scheffler’s stunning victory at The Players Championship was watched on TV by 17% fewer fans than the year before, an even greater drop was reportedly seen relating to the Valspar Championship as Peter Malnati scooped just his second-ever PGA Tour title.
Sunday’s action had many of the ingredients golf fans should want to see at the sharp end of a tournament – it was rarely clear who was going to win after Keith Mitchell quickly blew an overnight two-shot lead, several recognizable names were in contention (including Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele), and the tournament took place at a perilously difficult but entertaining location in the Copperhead Course.
However, Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter stated that “NBC averaged 1.886m viewers during Malnati’s win in the Valspar Championship on Sunday” – a startling 27% fall when comparing Taylor Moore’s victory in the same tournament 12 months prior.
When Moore saw off Jordan Spieth and co. at Innisbrook Resort in March 2023, the US broadcaster averaged 2.594m. Similar figures were recorded in 2022 when Sam Burns tacked on his third PGA Tour crown and second Valspar Championship in a row (2.454m).
NBC averaged 1.886M viewers for Peter Malnati’s win in the Valspar Championship on Sunday. That’s down 27% from 2.594M last year for Taylor Moore’s win (Jordan Spieth was also in the mix down the stretch). Two years ago: 2.454M for Sam Burns. pic.twitter.com/8qbEvsS6HYMarch 26, 2024
While the difference in viewership between The Players Championship and a classic PGA Tour event is always going to fall in favor of ‘the fifth Major’ due to its stacked field and iconic course, it could well be that the apathy fans are feeling in relation to golf’s civil war is causing extra pain for the US-based tour’s staple tournaments.
Yet, even the biggest events on the PGA Tour are not immune to fans’ apparent dwindling interest in watching on TV.
According to Sports Media Watch, while the final round of the 2024 Players Championship was the most-watched PGA Tour event of this year, it was also the least-watched closing day in the last decade of The Players – with the…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly…