What were the 2023 Masters Tournament TV ratings? Most streamed round of golf ever?
If you were thinking that the game of golf was on the decline, then think again as recent viewership numbers demonstrated the sport is as popular as ever.
Not only was the Masters full of exciting storylines and even better play, it was also watched by more people than any other golf tournament in the past five years. Was it the tension between PGA and LIV Golf players, the return or legends like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, or was it simply because folks had nothing better to do? Either way the numbers speak for themselves and they were impressive.
2023 Masters sets amazing precedent with viewership numbers
Aside from John Rahm’s stunning win at Augusta, there was another aspect of golf’s most prestigious tournament that turned heads and that’s the amount of people who watched it. According to reports, Rahm’s impressive four-stroke win was the most-watched golf broadcast in the past five years on any network. The 2023 Masters averaged 12.058 million viewers, with a peak of 15.021 million between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. ET. To be clear, those numbers represent a 19% increase from last year’s final round.
CBS’ Sunday presentation saw a total of 16.251 million viewers in combined average viewership for the conclusion of the third and final rounds. Where streaming platforms were concerned, the tournament was also the most-streamed round of golf ever on Paramount+, with double figures in year-over-year growth across households, minutes, and average minute audience (AMA) when compared with last year’s final round of the Masters.
How do the numbers stack up with Masters tournaments of the past?
As impressive as this year’s numbers were, it’s still something to note that they fall far short of the highest viewership ever recorded, which was Tiger Woods’ famous victory at Augusta in 1997. With an estimated television audience of 44 million, it stands to this day as the most watched round of golf ever. On the other hand, this year’s edition definitely outdid the previous high of 13.045 million viewers who watched Patrick Reed claim the green jacket in 2018. No matter how you cut it, the sport of golf is alive and well and has the stats to prove it.