The network broadcasts are the worst. Nothing but commercials & the horrible “play through” feature which is just more commercials. You can watch for an hour and see 10 minutes of actual golf. The network product is terrible.
Agreed! For me personally I don’t listen to the announcers either. If I do turn it on the first thing I do is tap the mute button. I don’t need the personal insights to the players background. I don’t care about how the putts break. I want to see driving, iron play but what we get is putting. 30 mins of commercials, 20 mins of putting, the rest of interviews and booth conversation
Guys, a couple of points on how to look at LIV. 1. If you look at the live tweets during LIV tournaments you'll see that there are viewers from all over the world - LIV is going for a worldwide audience. 2. I prefer to watch LIV tournaments on UA-cam because there are NO commercials with my Premium membership. You're right about STARS being the main draw for golf tournaments. It was almost painful watching Billy Horschel win the Puntacana tournament because he didn't qualify for Hilton Head, a Signature event with the 70 anointed players. The only other guy there I knew was Charley Hoffman who finished fourth. Another fact is that in 2023 the highest number of rounds of golf were played by the general public of all time. I was surprised by that too but its a real fact. Finally, I believe any LIV tournament is at least 500X more exciting and entertaining than any non-Signature PGAT event except for the one event LIV has to play in Saudi Arabia with almost no galleries present.
18:59 A casual viewer for golf content will get the LIV feed on UA-cam. And it is far better than the ”Golf Channel” on CBS:Discovery+. The later shows you the first page of the leaderboard for ages during a commercial break on cable internationally. And woun’t bother to roll it to the second, not to mention the following pages yet the information is of the tee times. In the RBC coverage the intl feed consists 3.5 hrs of tee off times for the lead groups passing the 5 minute add break on US cable. Realy easy way to get under the skin of the viewership over the pond! What a sports coverage!
Someone else already hit the nail on the head. It's the crap tv coverage. It used to be you watch golf with a few commercials. Now it's watching commercials with a little bit of golf. Peter Finch on his Rough Cut podcast talk about it all the time. They don't watch unless it's on SkySports, because when it's on the CBS Broadcast, it's nothing but commercials.
I'm not a casual fan, but this is why I didn't watch the Masters or any PGA Tour events: Until the PGA tour makes a deal with LIV, I'm out. The PGA's monopoly attitude is sickening and I won't watch. And I can't stomach another Golf channel, no talent, idiot... belittle a LIV players talent. It's ridiculous! I'll just watch 14 LIV events a year and be happy 😊
Pga coverage is horrible like several other have said. How many times can they follow Rory ignoring fans walking to a tee box? Sure, he is in the zone and not going to high five everyone, but why show it? Are viewers writing in saying they want to look at his butt for minutes at a time?
Most people do not want to reminisce about Tiger. They are tired of the political views and bashing between LIV and PGA. And definitely tired of the attitudes and the abrasiveness of the commentators. I am all about golf. Watch and play. Half the time now if I watch I mute the TV. It’s not the product, it is the sellers, the package, the commentators.
The PGA Tour, its leaders, and the vast majority of its card-caring members; moreover, those within the media that keep taking trash about LIV players and the LIV tour have turned many of us off on watching PGA broadcasting events and the PGA Tour itself. Their trash-talking needs to END and the deal between PGA Tour & LIV needs to be concluded. Lastly, the entire World Ranking point ALSO needs a complete rebuilt. Their ranking is WAY Off!
LIV is free to view in most countries around the world.... FREE.... IT'S FREE TO WATCH ON UA-cam WITH NO ADVERTS EXCEPT LIVS OWN PROMOTIONS... fck me... America isn't the center of the universe 😂😂😂😂
Great conversation. The world has changed. I am a big Yankee fan but watch 10 minutes of highlights the next morning. I save 3 hours by watching the highlights. Ditto for golf, football and any other sport.
yall really got to take some stock in the fact that people watch on the apps now. Cable cost money, the apps are free, myself and all my friends (ages 23-45) just watch on the app. Its commercial free. Younger golfer dont want to sit in front of their tv for that long, we watch while were on the range, or while we work, playing a round or doing everything else this isn't lounging around on the couch.
The Master's tourney was always on Easter weekend. Families would get together and spend the weekend watching a traditional classic tourney on a venue, (pretty pictures,) that was 2nd to none plus they had the biggest purse, a win would make a year for a player.. I think the money has changed the game for the worst. It used to be more middle class idea of a little guy making a big check, now they are all multi-millionaires making even more insane money. Hard to relate. Viewership will continue to slide, not about the game anymore, just gambling and money. NBC lost the plot of what golf was about, they trashed the golf channel of wholesome instruction and entertainment, moved the headquarters to Stanford, CT took a corporate feel and got Las Vegas involved. Golf tournaments used to be about communities and volunteers raising money for charity with golfers as a vehicle for accomplishing that goal. Not anymore, so viewership changes. Just take a look at ticket prices, not family friendly anymore. Two years ago I took my son to the Travelers final day, the tickets were $160 each, beers were $18, hamburgers were $15. For the afternoon I spent over $400. Pro golf has major issues going forward with their fan base.
Don't forget, the Tour tried to leverage its viewership by borrowing against the TV contract. So they top.that by bashing players and LIV and then come out saying they're doing a deal. My soul the hypocrisy of all that has damaged pro golf. Oh, pulling the rug right out from under Rory wasn't a good idea either. At what point do we start blaming the Tour Bosses?? The phone was ringing they didn't want a complete split, who knows what could've been??? The desire for power and protecting your job atbsomepoint runs counterintuitive to getting growth in viewership.
Main broadcast is so bad with too many commercials. attention span is something that golf has to adjust to, that is why UA-cam golf is blowing up. Old tradition will die with this generation.
The negative framing of LIV is getting old guys… LIV is growing massively on streaming and network TV across the globe. Golf fans aren’t watching the pga tour mainly bc their broadcast is hot garbage and a waste of time.
Its a conbination of things. People realizing the days of seeing Tiger compete is now truly gone, big stars and bog personalities moving to LIV, the PGA being run by a total tool in Jay has made people lose respect for the PGA in the draconic and petty way they (Jay) has dealt with the LIV issue. No real competition for Scottie
Hi, we are from the UK and watch a lot of golf. We feel that the coverage is not as good as it used to be, they seem to follow the leaders and not the rest of the field. We like watching all golfers. The other thing the golf is boring there is not enough excitement. We follow Rory and even if he is not playing well he is still exciting to watch. No disrespect to Scottie, he is good but there is no one giving him a fight. Also we get fed up of being lied to, a golfer says he is definitely not going to LIV then go !
Before Jack and Arnie and co formed the PGAT pro golfers travelled the world from different tours and were well patronised by the public. Now it's just an absolute dog's breakfast.
When you not American your eyeballs doesn't count. Only Americans count in the world. Look at what America is doing to the world with wars. All about America and Americans. The rest of us are just here for there pleasure. F America
Coverage is nothing but commercials, people pay a lot of money for cable, and streaming services which are getting more expensive and they are showing more commercials. The biggest generation (baby boomers), the biggest fans of golf, have to make a choice, cable or medicine or food. The younger generations are busy, plus do you want to waste 8 or more hours on your two days off from work sitting in front of the TV or computer. If you have children, you're running them to their events, some might have to take care of parents, and life is busy. Weekends, for most, is time to get things done, sitting on your butt wasting time watching commercials and mediocre coverage doesn't make sense. I watch highlights on UA-cam of sporting events, catch all the important parts of the event in under 25 minutes most of the time. The sponsors that kick in the money for these sporting events pass that expense to the consumer, so we pay again. My frustration is, that most fans make average salaries, and we pay these millionaires' salaries, they live large, get free stuff and the world caterers to them. Being a retired baby boomer, II got to make choices on where my money is spent, cable and streaming services are not on my list.
Scheffler, at least to me, is not a compelling character. He's bland, and at times, smug. I've never really liked him. I'm starting to like Aberg, I was warming up to Cam Smith (AUS) and then he bolted. I like Tommy Fleetwood. Who on the PGA Tour is a "must-see"?
The Masters will continue to decline whilst they won’t accept that the OWGR system is no longer a true measure of the worlds best players , bringing politics into golf is the quickest way to turn of viewers, sport use to be one place you could escape from the over reach of politics, but not any more , we need announcers who aren’t pushing the elites agenda , and should have the balls to call out what is really happening instead of just being a mouth piece for the PGA tour and RnA
Scottie is great. Excellent talent but not dynamic. PGA needs a consistently competitive Rory. Rory is dynamic talent and personality. And he has big fan base. They need Rory to challenge Scottie. BUT I don’t see it happening. Rory just too often has been inconsistent.
Idk if it’s been said but try and give off more info on the screen yea the track man tracer line is cool, is it possible to Show what club is being used with spin rate numbers I think alittle more on screen info would be nice.
Just consider this: The viewership numbers you (and others) give is American-based (just like the PGA) but it's basically 35% fewer viewers for PGA tournaments, and around 20% less for the Masters. Now you and the other golf commentators and podcasts are trying to convince golf fans and themselves that the lost viewers are not tuning in to LIV events because no pro-PGA and anti-LIV wants to believe or accept that many more people are watching LIV than what they are willing to admit. Stop the fishing-expeditions to discover reasons why there are less viewers...Tiger hasn't been a factor for a number of years, why now...the golf roll-back is only in future...not that...PGA's product is broken...Greg Norman created a tour that in less than 3 years is threatening the existence of a 55 year old tour...that is the reason! I have heard ridiculous numbers of only a few hundred thousand people watching LIV. In South Africa LIV is televised on DSTV (and that goes out the most of Africa) and seeing that 4 of the most popular golfers in South Africa is in the Stingers team, the total viewers in South Africa should be around 1 mil. I have heard from people in Australia they have between 3 and 4 mil viewers of LIV. Can only imagine how many people in Europe (specially Spain) are watching LIV as well as in South America. So maybe that numbers are like that in America but it doesn't really matter because LIV is international... So, just consider that the +-35% of viewers that disappeared are now watching LIV and not PGA tournaments...and that 15% of that 35% are even more anti-PGA than me (I at least watch the Majors but no PGA) and they are not even watching the Majors because of the way the Majors are also discriminating against LIV golfers (Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Gooch etc.). Golf fans and viewers don't just disappear like the pro-PGA people want us to accept. They are still around, they are just watching other golf, but are very much anti-PGA because of the actions of the PGA against LIV golfers and being so obviously hypocritical! The PGA and American golf fans just have to accept America is not the center of the golf world and maybe supporter numbers can't get to those of American sports like the NBA or NFL. Golf is not an American sport but an international sport...and internationally the viewership can compete with the viewership of strictly American sports. PS: PGA events - 10 to 12 hours per day for 4 days to follow weak fields. LIV events - +-5 hours for 3 days with shotgun starts for 3 days and strong fields every tournament.
The Masters as well as the rest of the PGA broadcast, have gotten worse. The broadcast do not compare with the rest of the broadcast history. No one wants featured groups. No one wants featured holes. They will continue to lose market to dead air as long as they want to cut costs on broadcasting. I sure I do not understand the real reason for the change in style. All I know is it's boring and I don't want to watch 3 hours of any golfer. The neat overwhelming problem is the way the broadcasting personalities are scripted. Just makes me mad. Disrespectful at the least. And before i forget, its not entertaining!
I agree the problem is not Scottie's low-key personality. The problem is the final rounds in tournaments have not been very compelling. The other top players on the PGA, i.e. Mcllory, JT, Spieth, Hovland, Schauffele and Cantlay are playing like garbage, and the charismatic and "villainous" players are on LIV.
I refused to watch the masters due to them not inviting guys like Louis and Dean B. Also Scottie has zero personality he’s undeniably the best golfer on the planet but he doesn’t make non golfers turn on the TV!
The coverage is BORING. Is the format antiquated? There is something to say for LIV’s shotgun start. Constant action on the course. Not spending the whole day watching Cantly lumber over 5 hours on course.
I think you guys are focusing to much on TV viewers for LIV. That isn't the audience LIV is going for, they want the younger audience that streams everything. I watch LIV avidly and only watch it on the App or UA-cam. I'm 47, how do you think 20 and 30 year Olds are watching LIV? Cable TV is a dying service.
There are so many parallels with pro bass fishing and golf. Splitting of tours, fan interactions, social media presence and the general public is now turning more towards UA-camrs for information than the pros. The social media aspect is not being capatilized on by the pros at the quantity it needs. I believe there need to be some cut days to get down to a top 10 field. There is a lack of relatability to the pros nowadays and that’s not going to build any of them to be in the spotlight just by winning. The coverage also has to change it’s just flat out boring. Also why have they not changed a tournament or 2 with an extended green of 2 holes that become a par 7. A home run or chance for a grand slam on holes 12-16
So, again, where are the metrics for streaming of LIV ? You seem to declare numbers but offer No insight regarding LIV. Network audience is NOT the LIV audience. The numbers don’t add up given the growth of the game in the last 3 years And The unabashed pro pga bias and constant bashing of LIV is juvenile and tiresome… LIV is the saviour of a global golf future PGA is the villain, driven by power and provincial narrow mindset Love LIV … to bad the sheep have been told to hate them
I thought the Masters coverage by CBS was absolutely terrible. All they did was follow the lead group. You had no feeling for how the other players were doing. They stayed on the lead group while they were standing at the tee box. It was ridiculous.
The issue isn’t the broadcast itself it’s that golf fans have changed and what they want isn’t what golf fans wanted 10-15-20 years ago this generation of golf fan wants the party atmosphere and isn’t as educated on the game as fans used to be. Golf has become what it is because of the people who play it not being knowledgeable on the game and the educate of the game.
The First 2 days of the Masters i believe was up or on par it was the last two days once Tiger’s 3rd round fell apart, then Once Brycin fell off and Scottie started to make the Move!
Full Swing opened the eyes to the fact that as a "struggling" golf they still have great homes and hi-end vehicles. Those of us "real" people can't have the best of the best and play Muni's.
Great podcast. For me, I have ESPN+ and love watching the early coverage because they show actual golf, and less yapping. The Network Coverage comes on and its a commercial fest, non-stop annoying announcers. I want to see yardages, spin rates, data, not some blowhard in the booth babbling on about nothing. Show us golf, and not just the leaders except the last round if it is close. The Anti-LIV bashing is absurd. Most of the PGA Tour events are boresfest. And stop with the clown CEOs yakking about how much they care about their customers and how much money they give to charity. No one cares about that. When you are trying to sell Spieth, Thomas, Schauffele, and Cantlay, that is a tough sell. And the Tiger Woods praise is pathetic. He hasnt been relevant in golf in 15 years. Rory can drive the ball, and every other part of his game is mediocre. Totally agree on the idiotic golf ball rollback. They keep saying its no big deal to the casual golfer, ok then if its no big deal, why do it? The USGA and R&A are blatantly lieing
I know this was three weeks ago but I'll watch highlites for Thurs Fri and Saturday and tape it for Sunday watch it on Monday and fast forward thur commercials way to many commercials on golf
I think less and less people have cable every year and more people stream . Even though TV “viewership” might be down. I guarantee there’s more people watching Golf now than ever. Especially with the golf boom that’s happened in the past few years.
As much as I HATE THE ROLL BACK, that really hasn't hit yet. People don't really understand that anyway. What we need is stop the ball from getting longer. Rollback is the wrong word!
The USGA listens TOO MUCH to the pros and not enough to the people that pay the bills. The long putter change proved that. Only Tiger benefitted from that to keep Scott and Bradley from beating him. But then Tiger can't keep the drama down and it really on hurt senior golfers all over the world.
the average PGA viewer is 68 yrs old...the average LIV viewer is 45 yrs old....that's a PGA problem.....72 holes is a joke who wants to watch 2 days of practice rounds....PGA is stuck in 1920 ...come into this century ...
I think this has less to do with golf and more to do with cable. I’m 26 I don’t know a single other person under 30 in my life that has cable or live tv. Everyone just uses streaming services. I watched the masters completely on my iPad on the app. It was free why wouldn’t you
The Masters was a pretty good test but " viewers that were in the habit " of watching golf. With Liv...too many people got out of the habit. I think that is where the losses are.
If you watch golf from years ago, it was fun and interesting. I’m not sure the networks know who their audience is any longer. Today, watching golf is very different and not viewer friendly to me. I’m not going to watch talking heads, commenting on every little thing that I can see for myself and I’m not interested in their opinions. I think sitting looking at screens with stats is ruining TV commentators. This detracts from watching the golf. Also, I’m interested in watching the best golfers competing. The masters, it was a strange one for sure. It didn’t even feel like a Masters. The early days of the Masters week were way more interesting to watch than the final days.
Recreational golf is too expensive. People usually watch sports they like to play or grew up playing. Now we are in a bad economy and a driver is $700. People aren't getting into the game.
You are forgetting about interest rates going up so ppl are working 2-3 jobs now no time to watch golf . When interest rates were low golf membership was through the roof
The Tiger era is essentially over. There's no polarizing figure out there like Tiger that brings in the attention and the crowds. Sure, Scheffler is dominating right now like the Tiger of old but he doesn't have that same kind of energy that was captivating to watch. Add to that some of the top players like Rahm and Brooks left to LIV and with that some of the excitement and drama they bring to a tournament. The PGA will rebound but it will take some time and certain players that people feel they need to watch each weekend.
Separate from the golf drama, many people are ditching pay television. Dish Network, DirecTV, UA-cam TV, and all of the other packages (add to that internet costs) are expensive and prices just go up and up and up constantly. I wouldn't doubt that a percentage of the viewership decline is that people have just stopped paying for TV.
Obscene prize money is a real turn off for most ordinary people who are struggling just to pay the bills , having multiple guys being paid millions and hundreds of thousands for playing un exciting golf is not what the average viewer wants to see or hear , golf use to be for everyone, now it’s becoming or seen to be just for the elites who couldn’t care less about the common person
TV coverage is shitty, how can you have no TV coverage for all the majors. You can't see golf on TV until 2 or 3pm. Come on guys these are majors tournaments and the TV coverage just out right sucks. The golf channel try to fool you saying "ohh we have coverage" but then they sit and talk about the current politics of the PGA and LIV Tours.
Why care so much about the CASUAL FAN? The casual fan isn’t going to buy gold merch or attend a golf tournament. Casual fan is only going to watch golf on TV if they have nothing else to do. I would rather spend my energy on turning a casual fan into a fanatic for golf.
I would rather play or practice golf get sun, fresh air etc than sit in front of tv and watch guys play for $3.6m for 4 days work…. I just think the money on pga is out of control. The lpga is almost a more entertaining product and they get like $375k for a win
People are watching more YT golf. Golf is more fun to play than watch for me. I can watch big events on the last day or can follow few of my favorite players on certain days if I have time. No one will watch tour golf for 4 days in a row. Golf is not like other bigger sports such as football/basketball/etc.. where there is active competition happenning between players/two teams which gets people's adrenalin flowing, etc.. Heck golf feels like you are battling against the course/mother nature/even course designer.
Welcome to the post-Tiger pro golf world. It isn’t a coincidence that ratings have dropped as Tiger is now semi-retired. Nobody on the Tour or LIV has anywhere near the drawing power of Tiger. Viewership and general interest is going back to what it was before Tiger. The reality is that ratings were over-inflated during the Tiger era and the post-Tiger eta was bound to a let down.
(Comments help the algorithm) lol Golf is far less diverse than NBA. The audience for them has to be 10 times larger than golf. I don't like that fact, but golf is extremely a unique game.
There is more to the world than America... How can you even try to have this conversation but only use American TV numbers, the rest of the world exists, streaming exists, at least you remembered UA-cam exists
Golf needs another young upcoming star. One who will who will set the scene on fire. Tiger Woods captured the attention of all players. More so, he got the attention of the younger audience and got many new players into the game. Golf needs another player like this. Unfortunately, golf is a very, very hard sport to play. So, these types of players do not come often enough.
look the problem is we the golf fans will only watch the majours I WATCH ALL LIV GOLF I RECODNIZE ALL THE PLAYERS AND THE GAMES ARE VERY CLOSE MAKING THEM INTRESTING TOTALY DIFFERENR TO THE PGA SOFFER AND WHO ELSE
Stop it bro. The rollback coming in years from now is not affecting ratings. And in fact golf participation is up, as you discussed. It’s a non issue. I promise you two will not notice any difference once the much needed rolled back balls go on the market. It’s people talking as you are that’s killing golf. The golf channel which is supposed to hype golf is the biggest bummer in the world right now (despite all the dumb wars). And you are doing the same. The tour and its tv partners are killing golf with their constant depressing talk while doing almost nothing to modernize the presentation. Most people on this thread are complaining about commercials and the way the coverage is presented. Which I agree with. I still watch everything but when I watch LIv I put the remote down. When I watch pga tour the remote needs to be in hand to either ffw or change channels because of the constant commercials. Augusta National is the ONLY course that can spend 10s of millions to lengthen the course. The scores were in part to weather. But yes someday Augusta may actually have to shorten the course. But literally they will be the only ones. Every other historical course still has a distance issue they can’t fix Sans a roll back. But again this has literally nothing to do with golf being less watchable. Again commercials and all the negativity from golf channel and cbs and nbc and even espn and folks like you is killing golf imho. I do have to point out Jim Nantz has become a lot more polarizing with his hate lately. Many golf fans don’t like him nealry as much yet he makes nearly 11 $ million dollars a year to do things like slow down coverage to cringe talk to players about how altruistic they are and how little they care about money (with that Canadian Hughes) in the pga tour. Again he makes 11 mill a year. So I wonder how many commercials it takes to pay a man many people mute 11 million $ a year. There is no other Tiger. Tiger still draws the viewers like no other. I do think he still has wins in him but neither the pga tour nor LIv can rely on him because he is so unavailable all the time. So golf needs to figure out how to make watching golf more fun. We do know commercials and graphics and walking and boring guys talking won’t do it. So we need to look elsewhere. I keep saying let’s look at showing more shots. Like a lot more shots.
Personally, I was disgusted by how the PGA Tour and its players handled LIV. It's unbecoming to personally attack ex-colleagues who simply make a personal choice to work elsewhere. I've lost all respect for most PGA players, the Golf Channel tools, and the rest of the golf media. Also, the Democrats are turning America into a third world country. This, ultimately, will have a massive impact on America's culture, including sports. Another thing, I couldn't stand to see one more sponsor interview spew woke garbage about equity, diversity, and marginalized communities. I long for the days when lying CEO would virtue signal about their work with kids with cancer.
You guys are missing the Elephant in the room. Gambling. What is driving viewership in the younger than Boomer demo... gambling. The gambling on golf I see is more active during play as the scores are changing. If I have no interest in wagering on the people playing.... why watch? Lately its Scotty Shuffles winning everything, his odds are a terrible payout. What I am looking for is somoene surging from behind. That just doesn't seem to happen much anymore. Make is interesting for gambling and the viewership will rise!
One more Rant! Lol! When You have a “Group” of Wealth and Buyout on the Scale of Money and deep pockets that the Saudi’s have Bought out the actual Integrity, History, and Competitive Aspect. Buy Atheletes to Play Golf not as a Sport with zero future Legacy of Quarter Billionaire Middle aged White Men in Shorts and Loud Music and Expensive Alchohol and Parties Playing a changed Game of Golf! Like A Golf Outing gone Pro? Also the Team event, The 54 hole formats! The I dont care i got paid competition of Paid already quart billionaires! They have ZERO reason to be better or for their Legacy!!! If They dont care why Would We as Fans Now?????? And YES You Need Players to Care about Their Legacy and A Rivalry! To Me Paying a Player a contract of Hundreds of Millions does not make these Players Care to be more competitive and to “Grind” thats why those Young no named Players who are Striving and Grinding to just make Their Tour Cards and earn their Money ect.. are winning (Other than Scottie) Like Dunlap, Jake Knapp, First time winner Stephen Jaeger, M. Pavon, A. Eckroat, Nick Taylor! This is also without Names competing like Finau, Spieth, JT, Rory, Morikawa, Cantlay, ect.. lose the other LIV Players and its like what!? Who!? Yawwwn! Yaaawwn! Sure good for those players making a name and hopefully one day be a face but right now its not what Golf needs! They need BIG Names Caring, competing, Rivalries, Integrity, Playing Competitively, not constant media questions about Money, Deals, Fighting, Who may be bought to Play in a Social Status Middle aged Mens Golf Outing in shorts for jokes and side bets! Also You need better Televised Format and structure. The Equiptment and the agronomy of Courses and the Tech making this as a viewer look less difficult for the Players. Birdies are great but not drive to the green and two putt! So theres that aspect that needs figured out without losing the integrity. Idk its a mess!
I live in the US and the coverage is terrible. As much as I like Scottie he is boring to watch. The commercials and the sponsors just make it so hard and I understand from the sponsors they put up big money and want there do. The masters was a joke there online was so far behind it wasn't even funny. You need peacock and paramount apps and the masters was horrible on paramount. The masters app was ok but still a pain until the broadcast came on it. If you followed a group on it they wouldn't give any updates on anyone else that was playing, I had to keep going back to the leaderboard to see how people were doing. Terrible! They want another tiger and there isn't anyone and probably won't be. Scottie is phenomenal rite now but he isn't make the long crazy putts like tiger or hitting around trees like tiger, tiger always was exciting to watch.
This is the Tiger Woods effect!! Tiger brought a whole new crowd to the game! He is no longer relevant and not playing that much! Tiger was must watch TV the casual fan doesn't want to see half these players!
The network broadcasts are the worst. Nothing but commercials & the horrible “play through” feature which is just more commercials. You can watch for an hour and see 10 minutes of actual golf. The network product is terrible.
Fact. The coverage is god awful.
Agreed! For me personally I don’t listen to the announcers either. If I do turn it on the first thing I do is tap the mute button. I don’t need the personal insights to the players background. I don’t care about how the putts break. I want to see driving, iron play but what we get is putting. 30 mins of commercials, 20 mins of putting, the rest of interviews and booth conversation
Plus the Woke Commercials are turning off golfers. They play the game with integrity, and find the Woke Ideology as bogus. 👹
I’m tired of listening to all the foreign commentators. And the American announcers are bush league.
Exactly. The broadcast is the #1 reason ratings are down. Even majors are brutal to watch live
Guys, a couple of points on how to look at LIV.
1. If you look at the live tweets during LIV tournaments you'll see that there are viewers from all over the world - LIV is going for a worldwide audience.
2. I prefer to watch LIV tournaments on UA-cam because there are NO commercials with my Premium membership.
You're right about STARS being the main draw for golf tournaments. It was almost painful watching Billy Horschel win the Puntacana tournament because he didn't qualify for Hilton Head, a Signature event with the 70 anointed players. The only other guy there I knew was Charley Hoffman who finished fourth.
Another fact is that in 2023 the highest number of rounds of golf were played by the general public of all time. I was surprised by that too but its a real fact.
Finally, I believe any LIV tournament is at least 500X more exciting and entertaining than any non-Signature PGAT event except for the one event LIV has to play in Saudi Arabia with almost no galleries present.
Pro golf politicized their sport PGA Tour vs LIV. That turned off a lot of casual golf fans. Good luck getting them back.
LIV is streaming in over 120 countries the LIV numbers are wrong
18:59 A casual viewer for golf content will get the LIV feed on UA-cam.
And it is far better than the ”Golf Channel” on CBS:Discovery+.
The later shows you the first page of the leaderboard for ages during a commercial break on cable internationally. And woun’t bother to roll it to the second, not to mention the following pages yet the information is of the tee times.
In the RBC coverage the intl feed consists 3.5 hrs of tee off times for the lead groups passing the 5 minute add break on US cable.
Realy easy way to get under the skin of the viewership over the pond!
What a sports coverage!
Someone else already hit the nail on the head. It's the crap tv coverage. It used to be you watch golf with a few commercials. Now it's watching commercials with a little bit of golf. Peter Finch on his Rough Cut podcast talk about it all the time. They don't watch unless it's on SkySports, because when it's on the CBS Broadcast, it's nothing but commercials.
100%
Announcers have a lot to do with keeping or losing viewers. I tired very quickly of all the anti-LIV narrative.
100%
I'm not a casual fan, but this is why I didn't watch the Masters or any PGA Tour events:
Until the PGA tour makes a deal with LIV, I'm out. The PGA's monopoly attitude is sickening and I won't watch. And I can't stomach another Golf channel, no talent, idiot... belittle a LIV players talent. It's ridiculous!
I'll just watch 14 LIV events a year and be happy 😊
Pga coverage is horrible like several other have said. How many times can they follow Rory ignoring fans walking to a tee box? Sure, he is in the zone and not going to high five everyone, but why show it? Are viewers writing in saying they want to look at his butt for minutes at a time?
100%
Most people do not want to reminisce about Tiger. They are tired of the political views and bashing between LIV and PGA. And definitely tired of the attitudes and the abrasiveness of the commentators. I am all about golf. Watch and play. Half the time now if I watch I mute the TV. It’s not the product, it is the sellers, the package, the commentators.
Well said.
The PGA Tour, its leaders, and the vast majority of its card-caring members; moreover, those within the media that keep taking trash about LIV players and the LIV tour have turned many of us off on watching PGA broadcasting events and the PGA Tour itself. Their trash-talking needs to END and the deal between PGA Tour & LIV needs to be concluded. Lastly, the entire World Ranking point ALSO needs a complete rebuilt. Their ranking is WAY Off!
The PGA drove their sponsors and fans away.
You can't look at just the CW for LIV viewership. There are lots of alternatives plus several foreign TV stations that show live LIV golf.
LIV is free to view in most countries around the world.... FREE.... IT'S FREE TO WATCH ON UA-cam WITH NO ADVERTS EXCEPT LIVS OWN PROMOTIONS... fck me... America isn't the center of the universe 😂😂😂😂
Agreed. Americans think their TV ratings says everything about us outside America. F America.
We're not???? Oh man. 😂😂😂😂
Hehehe Golf going world wide. Very cool.
PGA golf is horrible to watch...too many commercials, and too many golf politics conversations.
Great conversation. The world has changed. I am a big Yankee fan but watch 10 minutes of highlights the next morning. I save 3 hours by watching the highlights. Ditto for golf, football and any other sport.
yall really got to take some stock in the fact that people watch on the apps now. Cable cost money, the apps are free, myself and all my friends (ages 23-45) just watch on the app. Its commercial free. Younger golfer dont want to sit in front of their tv for that long, we watch while were on the range, or while we work, playing a round or doing everything else this isn't lounging around on the couch.
The Master's tourney was always on Easter weekend. Families would get together and spend the weekend watching a traditional classic tourney on a venue, (pretty pictures,) that was 2nd to none plus they had the biggest purse, a win would make a year for a player.. I think the money has changed the game for the worst. It used to be more middle class idea of a little guy making a big check, now they are all multi-millionaires making even more insane money. Hard to relate. Viewership will continue to slide, not about the game anymore, just gambling and money. NBC lost the plot of what golf was about, they trashed the golf channel of wholesome instruction and entertainment, moved the headquarters to Stanford, CT took a corporate feel and got Las Vegas involved. Golf tournaments used to be about communities and volunteers raising money for charity with golfers as a vehicle for accomplishing that goal. Not anymore, so viewership changes. Just take a look at ticket prices, not family friendly anymore. Two years ago I took my son to the Travelers final day, the tickets were $160 each, beers were $18, hamburgers were $15. For the afternoon I spent over $400. Pro golf has major issues going forward with their fan base.
Don't forget, the Tour tried to leverage its viewership by borrowing against the TV contract. So they top.that by bashing players and LIV and then come out saying they're doing a deal. My soul the hypocrisy of all that has damaged pro golf. Oh, pulling the rug right out from under Rory wasn't a good idea either. At what point do we start blaming the Tour Bosses?? The phone was ringing they didn't want a complete split, who knows what could've been??? The desire for power and protecting your job atbsomepoint runs counterintuitive to getting growth in viewership.
Main broadcast is so bad with too many commercials. attention span is something that golf has to adjust to, that is why UA-cam golf is blowing up. Old tradition will die with this generation.
The amount of commercials are ridiculous.
100%
The negative framing of LIV is getting old guys… LIV is growing massively on streaming and network TV across the globe. Golf fans aren’t watching the pga tour mainly bc their broadcast is hot garbage and a waste of time.
Totally agree
Its a conbination of things. People realizing the days of seeing Tiger compete is now truly gone, big stars and bog personalities moving to LIV, the PGA being run by a total tool in Jay has made people lose respect for the PGA in the draconic and petty way they (Jay) has dealt with the LIV issue. No real competition for Scottie
Hi, we are from the UK and watch a lot of golf. We feel that the coverage is not as good as it used to be, they seem to follow the leaders and not the rest of the field. We like watching all golfers. The other thing the golf is boring there is not enough excitement. We follow Rory and even if he is not playing well he is still exciting to watch. No disrespect to Scottie, he is good but there is no one giving him a fight. Also we get fed up of being lied to, a golfer says he is definitely not going to LIV then go !
A big problem is the Golf Channel and Announcers on golf channel. Also they went woke.
@@WyldStallion-bs9oo yeah and 71 million people stop watching that garbage in 2010 . I Love golf and I don’t watch golf channel ever .
Network golf has become unwatchable. All commercials and talking. Show golf shots!
Before Jack and Arnie and co formed the PGAT pro golfers travelled the world from different tours and were well patronised by the public. Now it's just an absolute dog's breakfast.
I can’t bear to watch 8 hours of golf over 4 days. I have stuff to do. Would rather watch a shotgun start and be done within 3 and half hours.
I couldn’t wait for Sunday’s and watching golf. Those days are long gone. Today’s golfers look like robots with no emotions.
I cut cable, and a shit load of people have as well. Not counting app/streaming in the numbers is idiotic in 2024
When you not American your eyeballs doesn't count. Only Americans count in the world. Look at what America is doing to the world with wars. All about America and Americans. The rest of us are just here for there pleasure. F America
Coverage is nothing but commercials, people pay a lot of money for cable, and streaming services which are getting more expensive and they are showing more commercials. The biggest generation (baby boomers), the biggest fans of golf, have to make a choice, cable or medicine or food. The younger generations are busy, plus do you want to waste 8 or more hours on your two days off from work sitting in front of the TV or computer. If you have children, you're running them to their events, some might have to take care of parents, and life is busy. Weekends, for most, is time to get things done, sitting on your butt wasting time watching commercials and mediocre coverage doesn't make sense. I watch highlights on UA-cam of sporting events, catch all the important parts of the event in under 25 minutes most of the time. The sponsors that kick in the money for these sporting events pass that expense to the consumer, so we pay again. My frustration is, that most fans make average salaries, and we pay these millionaires' salaries, they live large, get free stuff and the world caterers to them. Being a retired baby boomer, II got to make choices on where my money is spent, cable and streaming services are not on my list.
PGA tour needs Wesley Bryan
Scheffler, at least to me, is not a compelling character. He's bland, and at times, smug. I've never really liked him. I'm starting to like Aberg, I was warming up to Cam Smith (AUS) and then he bolted. I like Tommy Fleetwood. Who on the PGA Tour is a "must-see"?
Glad this is a opinion lol
The Masters will continue to decline whilst they won’t accept that the OWGR system is no longer a true measure of the worlds best players , bringing politics into golf is the quickest way to turn of viewers, sport use to be one place you could escape from the over reach of politics, but not any more , we need announcers who aren’t pushing the elites agenda , and should have the balls to call out what is really happening instead of just being a mouth piece for the PGA tour and RnA
Comparatively speaking, are folks watching TV as much as 5 years ago?? They're streaming much more? It seems they are.
Scottie is great. Excellent talent but not dynamic. PGA needs a consistently competitive Rory. Rory is dynamic talent and personality. And he has big fan base. They need Rory to challenge Scottie. BUT I don’t see it happening. Rory just too often has been inconsistent.
Idk if it’s been said but try and give off more info on the screen yea the track man tracer line is cool, is it possible to Show what club is being used with spin rate numbers I think alittle more on screen info would be nice.
Just consider this:
The viewership numbers you (and others) give is American-based (just like the PGA) but it's basically 35% fewer viewers for PGA tournaments, and around 20% less for the Masters.
Now you and the other golf commentators and podcasts are trying to convince golf fans and themselves that the lost viewers are not tuning in to LIV events because no pro-PGA and anti-LIV wants to believe or accept that many more people are watching LIV than what they are willing to admit. Stop the fishing-expeditions to discover reasons why there are less viewers...Tiger hasn't been a factor for a number of years, why now...the golf roll-back is only in future...not that...PGA's product is broken...Greg Norman created a tour that in less than 3 years is threatening the existence of a 55 year old tour...that is the reason!
I have heard ridiculous numbers of only a few hundred thousand people watching LIV. In South Africa LIV is televised on DSTV (and that goes out the most of Africa) and seeing that 4 of the most popular golfers in South Africa is in the Stingers team, the total viewers in South Africa should be around 1 mil. I have heard from people in Australia they have between 3 and 4 mil viewers of LIV. Can only imagine how many people in Europe (specially Spain) are watching LIV as well as in South America.
So maybe that numbers are like that in America but it doesn't really matter because LIV is international...
So, just consider that the +-35% of viewers that disappeared are now watching LIV and not PGA tournaments...and that 15% of that 35% are even more anti-PGA than me (I at least watch the Majors but no PGA) and they are not even watching the Majors because of the way the Majors are also discriminating against LIV golfers (Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Gooch etc.). Golf fans and viewers don't just disappear like the pro-PGA people want us to accept. They are still around, they are just watching other golf, but are very much anti-PGA because of the actions of the PGA against LIV golfers and being so obviously hypocritical!
The PGA and American golf fans just have to accept America is not the center of the golf world and maybe supporter numbers can't get to those of American sports like the NBA or NFL. Golf is not an American sport but an international sport...and internationally the viewership can compete with the viewership of strictly American sports.
PS:
PGA events - 10 to 12 hours per day for 4 days to follow weak fields.
LIV events - +-5 hours for 3 days with shotgun starts for 3 days and strong fields every tournament.
The Masters as well as the rest of the PGA broadcast, have gotten worse. The broadcast do not compare with the rest of the broadcast history. No one wants featured groups. No one wants featured holes. They will continue to lose market to dead air as long as they want to cut costs on broadcasting. I sure I do not understand the real reason for the change in style. All I know is it's boring and I don't want to watch 3 hours of any golfer. The neat overwhelming problem is the way the broadcasting personalities are scripted. Just makes me mad. Disrespectful at the least. And before i forget, its not entertaining!
I agree the problem is not Scottie's low-key personality. The problem is the final rounds in tournaments have not been very compelling. The other top players on the PGA, i.e. Mcllory, JT, Spieth, Hovland, Schauffele and Cantlay are playing like garbage, and the charismatic and "villainous" players are on LIV.
There are no Villains or personalities in the PGA Tour .They all went to LIV
I refused to watch the masters due to them not inviting guys like Louis and Dean B.
Also Scottie has zero personality he’s undeniably the best golfer on the planet but he doesn’t make non golfers turn on the TV!
All coverage of PGA and LPGA are terrible. Until this is fixed it will continue to decline!
The coverage is BORING. Is the format antiquated? There is something to say for LIV’s shotgun start. Constant action on the course. Not spending the whole day watching Cantly lumber over 5 hours on course.
Pga bashes Liv constantly - Stop it
I watch more golf on UA-cam. I used to watch so much PGA, but for some reason it has gotten really boring.
I think you guys are focusing to much on TV viewers for LIV. That isn't the audience LIV is going for, they want the younger audience that streams everything. I watch LIV avidly and only watch it on the App or UA-cam. I'm 47, how do you think 20 and 30 year Olds are watching LIV? Cable TV is a dying service.
There are so many parallels with pro bass fishing and golf. Splitting of tours, fan interactions, social media presence and the general public is now turning more towards UA-camrs for information than the pros. The social media aspect is not being capatilized on by the pros at the quantity it needs. I believe there need to be some cut days to get down to a top 10 field. There is a lack of relatability to the pros nowadays and that’s not going to build any of them to be in the spotlight just by winning. The coverage also has to change it’s just flat out boring. Also why have they not changed a tournament or 2 with an extended green of 2 holes that become a par 7. A home run or chance for a grand slam on holes 12-16
You guys are clueless. I watch LIV golf on their app on my Firestick thru my 70” tv, thousands more do the same.
So, again, where are the metrics for streaming of LIV ? You seem to declare numbers but offer No insight regarding LIV. Network audience is NOT the LIV audience.
The numbers don’t add up given the growth of the game in the last 3 years
And
The unabashed pro pga bias and constant bashing of LIV is juvenile and tiresome…
LIV is the saviour of a global golf future PGA is the villain, driven by power and provincial narrow mindset
Love LIV … to bad the sheep have been told to hate them
Nice job Phil Michelson ….you really improved the game.
He is. But it’s a long transition.
Tv providers make ridiculous to watch golf. Im enjoying other golf content youtubers and liv. Sick of their agenda shoving but nobody cares😊
Of course the PGA players pay attention to ratings... Their sponsorship deals rely on ratings...
I thought the Masters coverage by CBS was absolutely terrible. All they did was follow the lead group. You had no feeling for how the other players were doing. They stayed on the lead group while they were standing at the tee box. It was ridiculous.
The issue isn’t the broadcast itself it’s that golf fans have changed and what they want isn’t what golf fans wanted 10-15-20 years ago this generation of golf fan wants the party atmosphere and isn’t as educated on the game as fans used to be. Golf has become what it is because of the people who play it not being knowledgeable on the game and the educate of the game.
The First 2 days of the Masters i believe was up or on par it was the last two days once Tiger’s 3rd round fell apart, then Once Brycin fell off and Scottie started to make the Move!
I think that many fans are turned off by the ludicrous amounts of money that are now involved in the PGA tour.
only the PGA is taking a hit...
Full Swing opened the eyes to the fact that as a "struggling" golf they still have great homes and hi-end vehicles. Those of us "real" people can't have the best of the best and play Muni's.
Great podcast. For me, I have ESPN+ and love watching the early coverage because they show actual golf, and less yapping. The Network Coverage comes on and its a commercial fest, non-stop annoying announcers. I want to see yardages, spin rates, data, not some blowhard in the booth babbling on about nothing. Show us golf, and not just the leaders except the last round if it is close. The Anti-LIV bashing is absurd. Most of the PGA Tour events are boresfest. And stop with the clown CEOs yakking about how much they care about their customers and how much money they give to charity. No one cares about that. When you are trying to sell Spieth, Thomas, Schauffele, and Cantlay, that is a tough sell. And the Tiger Woods praise is pathetic. He hasnt been relevant in golf in 15 years. Rory can drive the ball, and every other part of his game is mediocre. Totally agree on the idiotic golf ball rollback. They keep saying its no big deal to the casual golfer, ok then if its no big deal, why do it? The USGA and R&A are blatantly lieing
Most people are watching LIV on their app. The future of golf is LIV.
I know this was three weeks ago but I'll watch highlites for Thurs Fri and Saturday and tape it for Sunday watch it on Monday and fast forward thur commercials way to many commercials on golf
is this just TV stats or online stats?
personally Im always on the apps instead
I think less and less people have cable every year and more people stream . Even though TV “viewership” might be down. I guarantee there’s more people watching Golf now than ever. Especially with the golf boom that’s happened in the past few years.
As much as I HATE THE ROLL BACK, that really hasn't hit yet. People don't really understand that anyway. What we need is stop the ball from getting longer. Rollback is the wrong word!
100in to take win 💳
The USGA listens TOO MUCH to the pros and not enough to the people that pay the bills.
The long putter change proved that. Only Tiger benefitted from that to keep Scott and Bradley from beating him. But then Tiger can't keep the drama down and it really on hurt senior golfers all over the world.
the average PGA viewer is 68 yrs old...the average LIV viewer is 45 yrs old....that's a PGA problem.....72 holes is a joke who wants to watch 2 days of practice rounds....PGA is stuck in 1920 ...come into this century ...
I think this has less to do with golf and more to do with cable. I’m 26 I don’t know a single other person under 30 in my life that has cable or live tv. Everyone just uses streaming services. I watched the masters completely on my iPad on the app. It was free why wouldn’t you
The Masters was a pretty good test but " viewers that were in the habit " of watching golf. With Liv...too many people got out of the habit. I think that is where the losses are.
I DVR. Then I can mute the announcing, fast forward the commercials. I don’t need to see it live. Why…..cuz I’m out playing golf….silly. 😊
If you watch golf from years ago, it was fun and interesting. I’m not sure the networks know who their audience is any longer. Today, watching golf is very different and not viewer friendly to me. I’m not going to watch talking heads, commenting on every little thing that I can see for myself and I’m not interested in their opinions. I think sitting looking at screens with stats is ruining TV commentators. This detracts from watching the golf. Also, I’m interested in watching the best golfers competing. The masters, it was a strange one for sure. It didn’t even feel like a Masters. The early days of the Masters week were way more interesting to watch than the final days.
Recreational golf is too expensive. People usually watch sports they like to play or grew up playing. Now we are in a bad economy and a driver is $700. People aren't getting into the game.
You are forgetting about interest rates going up so ppl are working 2-3 jobs now no time to watch golf .
When interest rates were low golf membership was through the roof
The Tiger era is essentially over. There's no polarizing figure out there like Tiger that brings in the attention and the crowds. Sure, Scheffler is dominating right now like the Tiger of old but he doesn't have that same kind of energy that was captivating to watch. Add to that some of the top players like Rahm and Brooks left to LIV and with that some of the excitement and drama they bring to a tournament. The PGA will rebound but it will take some time and certain players that people feel they need to watch each weekend.
Separate from the golf drama, many people are ditching pay television. Dish Network, DirecTV, UA-cam TV, and all of the other packages (add to that internet costs) are expensive and prices just go up and up and up constantly. I wouldn't doubt that a percentage of the viewership decline is that people have just stopped paying for TV.
Think the problem is adverts. That is what switches me off watching American sport. Including the superbowl. Who can be bothered with that crap.
Obscene prize money is a real turn off for most ordinary people who are struggling just to pay the bills , having multiple guys being paid millions and hundreds of thousands for playing un exciting golf is not what the average viewer wants to see or hear , golf use to be for everyone, now it’s becoming or seen to be just for the elites who couldn’t care less about the common person
TV coverage is shitty, how can you have no TV coverage for all the majors. You can't see golf on TV until 2 or 3pm. Come on guys these are majors tournaments and the TV coverage just out right sucks. The golf channel try to fool you saying "ohh we have coverage" but then they sit and talk about the current politics of the PGA and LIV Tours.
Why care so much about the CASUAL FAN? The casual fan isn’t going to buy gold merch or attend a golf tournament. Casual fan is only going to watch golf on TV if they have nothing else to do. I would rather spend my energy on turning a casual fan into a fanatic for golf.
I would rather play or practice golf get sun, fresh air etc than sit in front of tv and watch guys play for $3.6m for 4 days work…. I just think the money on pga is out of control. The lpga is almost a more entertaining product and they get like $375k for a win
People are watching more YT golf. Golf is more fun to play than watch for me. I can watch big events on the last day or can follow few of my favorite players on certain days if I have time. No one will watch tour golf for 4 days in a row. Golf is not like other bigger sports such as football/basketball/etc.. where there is active competition happenning between players/two teams which gets people's adrenalin flowing, etc.. Heck golf feels like you are battling against the course/mother nature/even course designer.
17:03 people follow teams. thats why LIV is doing that, you build an affiliation with team even when players come and go.
Welcome to the post-Tiger pro golf world. It isn’t a coincidence that ratings have dropped as Tiger is now semi-retired. Nobody on the Tour or LIV has anywhere near the drawing power of Tiger. Viewership and general interest is going back to what it was before Tiger. The reality is that ratings were over-inflated during the Tiger era and the post-Tiger eta was bound to a let down.
(Comments help the algorithm) lol
Golf is far less diverse than NBA. The audience for them has to be 10 times larger than golf. I don't like that fact, but golf is extremely a unique game.
what you described as your viewership, is casual.
There is more to the world than America... How can you even try to have this conversation but only use American TV numbers, the rest of the world exists, streaming exists, at least you remembered UA-cam exists
Golf needs another young upcoming star. One who will who will set the scene on fire. Tiger Woods captured the attention of all players. More so, he got the attention of the younger audience and got many new players into the game. Golf needs another player like this. Unfortunately, golf is a very, very hard sport to play. So, these types of players do not come often enough.
look the problem is we the golf fans will only watch the majours I WATCH ALL LIV GOLF I RECODNIZE ALL THE PLAYERS AND THE GAMES ARE VERY CLOSE MAKING THEM INTRESTING TOTALY DIFFERENR TO THE PGA SOFFER AND WHO ELSE
Stop it bro. The rollback coming in years from now is not affecting ratings. And in fact golf participation is up, as you discussed. It’s a non issue. I promise you two will not notice any difference once the much needed rolled back balls go on the market.
It’s people talking as you are that’s killing golf. The golf channel which is supposed to hype golf is the biggest bummer in the world right now (despite all the dumb wars). And you are doing the same.
The tour and its tv partners are killing golf with their constant depressing talk while doing almost nothing to modernize the presentation.
Most people on this thread are complaining about commercials and the way the coverage is presented. Which I agree with. I still watch everything but when I watch LIv I put the remote down. When I watch pga tour the remote needs to be in hand to either ffw or change channels because of the constant commercials.
Augusta National is the ONLY course that can spend 10s of millions to lengthen the course. The scores were in part to weather. But yes someday Augusta may actually have to shorten the course. But literally they will be the only ones. Every other historical course still has a distance issue they can’t fix Sans a roll back. But again this has literally nothing to do with golf being less watchable.
Again commercials and all the negativity from golf channel and cbs and nbc and even espn and folks like you is killing golf imho.
I do have to point out Jim Nantz has become a lot more polarizing with his hate lately. Many golf fans don’t like him nealry as much yet he makes nearly 11 $ million dollars a year to do things like slow down coverage to cringe talk to players about how altruistic they are and how little they care about money (with that Canadian Hughes) in the pga tour.
Again he makes 11 mill a year.
So I wonder how many commercials it takes to pay a man many people mute 11 million $ a year.
There is no other Tiger. Tiger still draws the viewers like no other. I do think he still has wins in him but neither the pga tour nor LIv can rely on him because he is so unavailable all the time.
So golf needs to figure out how to make watching golf more fun.
We do know commercials and graphics and walking and boring guys talking won’t do it.
So we need to look elsewhere. I keep saying let’s look at showing more shots. Like a lot more shots.
Streamed the entire masters through my phone to a tv
Personally, I was disgusted by how the PGA Tour and its players handled LIV. It's unbecoming to personally attack ex-colleagues who simply make a personal choice to work elsewhere. I've lost all respect for most PGA players, the Golf Channel tools, and the rest of the golf media.
Also, the Democrats are turning America into a third world country. This, ultimately, will have a massive impact on America's culture, including sports.
Another thing, I couldn't stand to see one more sponsor interview spew woke garbage about equity, diversity, and marginalized communities. I long for the days when lying CEO would virtue signal about their work with kids with cancer.
Golf channel left Fla. and it too isn't what it once was.
You guys are missing the Elephant in the room. Gambling. What is driving viewership in the younger than Boomer demo... gambling. The gambling on golf I see is more active during play as the scores are changing. If I have no interest in wagering on the people playing.... why watch? Lately its Scotty Shuffles winning everything, his odds are a terrible payout. What I am looking for is somoene surging from behind. That just doesn't seem to happen much anymore. Make is interesting for gambling and the viewership will rise!
No big stars. No excitement. It’s boring!
scottie isnt the guy, he would already be that guy if he was going to be that guy. they have a persona, aura.
One more Rant! Lol! When You have a “Group” of Wealth and Buyout on the Scale of Money and deep pockets that the Saudi’s have Bought out the actual Integrity, History, and Competitive Aspect. Buy Atheletes to Play Golf not as a Sport with zero future Legacy of Quarter Billionaire Middle aged White Men in Shorts and Loud Music and Expensive Alchohol and Parties Playing a changed Game of Golf! Like A Golf Outing gone Pro? Also the Team event, The 54 hole formats! The I dont care i got paid competition of Paid already quart billionaires! They have ZERO reason to be better or for their Legacy!!! If They dont care why Would We as Fans Now?????? And YES You Need Players to Care about Their Legacy and A Rivalry! To Me Paying a Player a contract of Hundreds of Millions does not make these Players Care to be more competitive and to “Grind” thats why those Young no named Players who are Striving and Grinding to just make Their Tour Cards and earn their Money ect.. are winning (Other than Scottie) Like Dunlap, Jake Knapp, First time winner Stephen Jaeger, M. Pavon, A. Eckroat, Nick Taylor! This is also without Names competing like Finau, Spieth, JT, Rory, Morikawa, Cantlay, ect.. lose the other LIV Players and its like what!? Who!? Yawwwn! Yaaawwn! Sure good for those players making a name and hopefully one day be a face but right now its not what Golf needs! They need BIG Names Caring, competing, Rivalries, Integrity, Playing Competitively, not constant media questions about Money, Deals, Fighting, Who may be bought to Play in a Social Status Middle aged Mens Golf Outing in shorts for jokes and side bets! Also You need better Televised Format and structure. The Equiptment and the agronomy of Courses and the Tech making this as a viewer look less difficult for the Players. Birdies are great but not drive to the green and two putt! So theres that aspect that needs figured out without losing the integrity. Idk its a mess!
I live in the US and the coverage is terrible. As much as I like Scottie he is boring to watch. The commercials and the sponsors just make it so hard and I understand from the sponsors they put up big money and want there do. The masters was a joke there online was so far behind it wasn't even funny. You need peacock and paramount apps and the masters was horrible on paramount. The masters app was ok but still a pain until the broadcast came on it. If you followed a group on it they wouldn't give any updates on anyone else that was playing, I had to keep going back to the leaderboard to see how people were doing. Terrible! They want another tiger and there isn't anyone and probably won't be. Scottie is phenomenal rite now but he isn't make the long crazy putts like tiger or hitting around trees like tiger, tiger always was exciting to watch.
I like liv just because it's easy to watch!
This is the post Tiger effect. Golf is back to where it was before he came on the scene. Neither LIV nor the PGA have anyone that moves the needle.
No doubt there is no tiger
Broadcasting needs fixing ??
This is the Tiger Woods effect!! Tiger brought a whole new crowd to the game! He is no longer relevant and not playing that much! Tiger was must watch TV the casual fan doesn't want to see half these players!