PGA Championship turns in surprising Sunday TV viewership numbers, there has been a shocking drop in viewing figures for the PGA championship and here’s why!
Television ratings for the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship were shockingly low and certainly didn’t rank very high among the things that Brooks Koepka cares about.
CBS is a major sporting broadcaster for golf, CBS covers PGA championships but also golf majors including the masters, the open, the us open, the dp world tour and so much more. According to Sports Business Journal and Sports Media Watch, CBS drew had a major drop in viewing figures for the PGA championship for Brooks Koepka’s win on Sunday, the lowest number for a final round of a PGA Championship on CBS since 2008, when Padraig Harrington outlasted Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis at Oakland Hills for his third major title.
But why has the viewing figures for the PGA championship dropped, what is the cause? Is this to do with Liv golf tour, Brooks keopka? There is a lot to talk about in today’s breaking news story and breaking golf news story
PGA Championship and CBS Ratings have Suddenly CRASHED! Here’s Why.
46 Comments
What do you think why are the figures LOW…?
Mate, I love golf, can't get enough of walking around the golf course. In the summer I probably play 4 times a week in the summer and a couple of times in the winter, but as a spectacle on the telly its dull! I start to watch it and then get bored after 10 minutes, so anybody who doesn't play it there is nothing there to keep them watching.
who wants to watch whinging mcilroy, best players are with the opposition, sick of the overpaid premidonas!
Think the answer is simple.
NO TIGER 🐅
McElroy,rahm,not at the races ,also no tiger
I watched the PGA championship, but I'm not happy with the LIV players competing, and I think lots of viewers are unhappy too. It's just not right and makes me feel sick. The LIV players have made their choice for CASH and playing less golf.
What are the figures for junior golfers and new golfers, are they not more interested in other things rather than golf, I'm thinking about the future of golf
Watching golf can be boring, especially when there are hardly any birdies
Could someone explain to me how a tv company can possibly know how many people are watching?…..viewing figures are just made up numbers used to sell advertising…..There is no actual way of counting viewers!
I follow Spieth and he just happened to be in a featured group every day on ESPN+ so that was 99% of what I watched. Chances are if he's not playing I'll watch the LPGA instead with the exception of the Masters which I always watch from start to finish.
Major networks always ruin coverage of most big sporting events by showing talking heads talking bout other crap while neglecting to show actual golf or the sport they’re covering. Trying to watch Olympic events is infuriating—I have to watch some sap story instead—MSM out of touch!
Secondly, the weather was nice for the first time in many regions other than Rochester, so people were out playing instead of watching golf.
I streamed it all four days on ESPN+. Their coverage with featured pairings and featured holes is just better for watching the game. Just my opinion but for me it’s just a better experience.
I love golf and I watch golf regardless of the crap you hear from the media. I'm not much of a Tiger fan mostly because the media coverage. I get it but I do not drink the mainstream kool-aid. I've been streaming the feature groups lately on ESPN+ so I can watch the good with the bad.
First off, I’m a LIV fan. I used to watch golf whenever possible. This year the PGA had LIV players is the field and I remember some of the were boo’d, DeChambo for example. I find this distasteful, so much so that I turned it off. I returned to watch as it became apparent that a LIV player might win. I find the conflict between the leagues distasteful. It puts me off and I can’t understand why the LIV tour can’t coexist with the PGA. it’s just another tour, there are dozens of them. Maybe I’m naive, I just want to see the best players in the world compete. I’m sick to death of the negative press and media coverage
The amount of commercials on CBS when covering golf is unbearable. They butcher it! That alone makes me turn it off. Plus Brooks Koepka is very unexciting to watch. Even boring.
Two points: it’s the PGA Championship. Yes It’s a major, but out of the 4, it’s the one without substance, history or national pride. Second, Brook’s was in the hunt (eventually the champ) but no one likes him. He is unlikeable, uninteresting and comes off as bratty, entitled and selfish. Simply put, more people cared about Michael Block than Brooks 5th major.
More ways to watch now. Does those numbers include those streaming to watch it? I’m guessing they do not.
Enough with the liv golfers excuses. Saudi Arabia is the second biggest trading partner with America so if my government can do business with them why can’t golfers? Most people in the media like Colt are just trying to bash other tours.
Colt is full of spit. That is just his opinion. I think the everyday golfer likes LIV.
I think you said it early on in this video. The sport of golf is seeing an uptick in popularity. Where and by whom? I believe a huge portion is by a new generation of players and they (I would be willing to bet) get most of their content on YouTube. I would further bet that when it comes to screen time, more and more is being spent on YouTube golfers, at the viewer's leisure more often than carving out a perfectly good Sunday afternoon to sit inside and watch the pros. While the pros are inspiring, channel like yours and many others offer much more to help me improve my game, or view a round of golf that looks more familiar to a round I would play (a little trash talk, talking through how you're seeing a hole/shot, general banter, etc).
My wife usually will watch with me, but when she saw Brooks at the top she had no interest and to be honest I only tuned into see how Block was doing.
LIV have devalued the market with giving away too much money, plus there is just too much golf to watch and no really players like in the olden days. Plus Youtube alone has millions of channels for free, there are like 50.000 free radio stations, and maybe 1000 free TV channels and just endless amount of other things to do. Plus Tiger is the only interesting golfer really to watch.
My question is can these figures be trusted the way the media portrays everything? Are the rankings so low so they take another shot at the LIV players in the tourney. The amount of bitterness coming from the golf media is amazing. They need to keep there stupid opinions to themselves. Promote the game. Maybe it’s because the golf content on YouTube is growing and getting huge. More people can relate to that.
I streamed the whole event with an on online service, so I don't think that is counted in viewership numbers – could be one reason for the downturn in numbers. Also, I am not a Koepka fan, so when it became clear he was a likely winner, I tuned out mentally and did something else with my time (although the streaming was on in the background).
Let's be honest ads and the boring panels of experts is crazy they got that much views. Adding ads on the field should help to reduce the amount of commercials. Some of the old timers need to move out and give space to new blood, watching Good Good is much better and fun that any PGA tournament.
The PGA coverage is pathetic, they show 5 or 6 players and the rest you would not even know they are in the field.
For me, the way the PGA has treated those golfers who switched to LIVGOLF has shown me that I don't want to support the PGA anymore. Even the PGA players has been downright rude. I love watching LIVGOLF ,way more excitement
They focus too much on a few players and are not showing a good variety of numerous players. For me it is getting boring watching Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and John Rahm all the time. They are great golfers and Jordan is one of my favorites, but the same thing over and over is getting boring to watch.
Personally I wasn't really interested when Brookes and Bryson were up there. Both players didn't interest me at all. I find Brookes arrogant and his personality is really off putting. Nothing against LIV just the players. Just being honest folks.
I usually watch the Masters and The Open, but everything else I just look at the PGA app all day.
I agree that ESPN was crap – but also consider that Koepka is not a likeable person – even without the LIV label
I watch featured groups on ESPN plus.. better coverage than regular board cast. Then watched the final 6 holes on CBS…. Watching players play a full round is way better than just everyone’s best shots
Most of us golfers over 50 who a large audience do not think golf is as entertaining as it was 20 to 30 years ago. We certainly dislike the young mouths on the tour like Rory. Young guys, shut up and play.
On the comments from Colt. The only thing that I would say is that if the imagen and reputation of all the players who move to LIV is not just thanks to the fact that they left for more money is also thanks to the huge campaign of discredit from PGA, Golf Channel, and all their businesses partners. I know that is people smart enough to see all the real facts on this matter but also is a lot of people that just repeat what they heard on social media, and the low ratings is just a backfire from the bad publicity over LIV since they never expected a player from the rival to lead and win the championship. 😏
This was 1 of the best PGAs in recent memory. The Block story was the icing on the cake. You couldn't write a better Hollywood script. A bit like "Tin Cup."
Watched most of it
The tv ratings are low because people are sick of the PGA tour. Nantz and the other CBS sycophants aren't entertaining as well. LIV is where it's at. Tiger's career is done so people need to get used to that fact.
No Tiger had to effect the ratings. I’m not happy about LIV Golf, but I watch for the pure enjoyment of the sport and do like the thrill of the game. The 1/4 roll missed putts and shank into the water or 40 yard hook. The weather may have been a factor and I find, finding coverage for the earlier tee times is difficult. Flip and coin , mate?
I live in Europe, smaller country. We have golf getting more and more popular evey year. What is my chance to turn my TV on and see golf events? NONE – everything is behing geo-locks and there is not even possibility to pay for subscription to see those big events! W.T.F. How can it be – I pay golf club membership and I am sure, they pay to those organizations to enable those big events and big payouts, but I cannot see any of them – how can it be I do not understand.
Cut of those TV contracts and let people to subscribe directly from somekind of golf app or internet!!! I want to see live, even agree to pay for this, but not able to do so!
I'm afraid I disagree with most here. Can't stand Koepka and can't stand LIV. Once Koepka took the lead early on I switched off. All my golfwhatsapp groups agreed with "anyone but Koepka" and then nobody from LIV
The coverage is very boring.
Because the coverage is awful.
I hate to tell you the main reason is is well frankly golf industry is down
In the States you have golf courses that are shutting down left and right being destroyed left and right and throwing up in apartments
The game has priced themselves out of the market
Plus two testosterone levels are down across all man and they no longer get out and do physical activities that is sit home and play video games or watch some other stupid TV series without actually participating in their lives