One of the reasons why ESPN wanted The Masters after USA Network was not just the prestige of carrying the event, but also getting viewers. It has certainly done that.
The first round of The Masters from Augusta, GA received a 2.4 household rating for Thursday with an average viewership of 2.851 million viewers. Both numbers are up from the year before. In addition, ESPN says The Masters did very well among younger male viewers in the 18-34 demographic.
Here’s the blurb from ESPN.
ESPN’s Thursday Masters Viewership, Ratings Rise
Viewership and ratings rose for ESPN’s live telecast of the first round of the 2013 Masters Tournament on Thursday, April 11, with double-digit ratings increases among younger viewers.
The telecast averaged 2,851,000 viewers with a 2.4 household coverage rating based on fast nationals, according to the Nielsen Company. Viewership grew seven percent from last year’s first round, which averaged 2,661,000 viewers, and the rating was an increase of three percent from a 2.3 last year. The rating peaked at a 2.7 from 5-5:30 p.m. ET.
ESPN’s telecast also saw a 16 percent rise in the Male 18-34 demographic, averaging a 1.4 rating vs. a 1.2 for last year’s first round, and a 15 percent rise in the Male 18-49 category.
While ESPN’s live Masters coverage ends Friday, the ESPN 3D Network will have live telecasts of the final two rounds of the event on Saturday and Sunday from 4-7 p.m. each day. In addition, SportsCenter and ESPN.com will continue to report from the Masters throughout the weekend.
We’ll see if the numbers are up again for today’s action.
