Kicking off Major season, The Masters is the one event that every golf fan marks on their calendar every year, and it’s arguably the one title that every golfer ranks above any other.
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Last year, around 12.7 million viewers in the US tuned in to CBS to see Rory McIlroy’s epic final round on his way to Grand Slam glory.
It feels like so much is packed into Masters week, and yet every year we ask the same question: why is the entire thing not televised?
While you’re able to watch all the afternoon action from 1pm ET each day, you may recall that live coverage doesn’t stretch to the early tee times and the reason is simple.
Augusta National Golf Club dictates the broadcast coverage of the tournament, and they intentionally limit how much is shown on television to ensure the event retains its premium, exclusive status.
Saying that, the coverage on The Masters app of every single shot from every single player and dedicated streams for featured groups and featured holes like Amen Corner mean you can essentially watch everything – just with a little work.
Fans may want to see more at home, but The Masters is such a prestigious and revered brand because of the mystique of this limited coverage. If we could see every shot from the comfort of our couch, would the event lose its shine?
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Obviously, more devout golf fans would remain faithful and intrigued by this supreme tournament regardless, but it is widely believed that the general viewer is more interested in the back nine.
There is a focus on providing coverage of the highest quality across a more restricted portion of the event, rather than diluting the content across every hour of the four days.
Meanwhile, it’s also a case of supply and demand for Augusta National Golf Club.
You can watch The Masters at home, but not all of it. Most of us can only dream of playing Augusta National, too. Even tickets are incredibly difficult to obtain. But, that just makes us all want it more, doesn’t it?
Interestingly, The Masters relinquishes the lure of making more money in an effort to preserve that prestige status.
The broadcast rights are reportedly given away for free to ESPN and CBS in the US, while international markets only pay around $25 million. Meanwhile the network’s production costs are reimbursed, which is unprecedented in the industry.
In return, though, Augusta National demands only four minutes of adverts are shown per hour, around a fifth of the time we see in standard sports broadcasts.
You only have to look at the fact that Augusta bans cell phones in the grounds to realize how seriously they take the idea of exclusivity and maximizing the experience of actually being there in the flesh.
It’s an event that demands attention on every level, and that’s why it’s the premier tournament for players and fans alike.