After Fans’s Criticism, Analyst Defends NBC’s PGA Tour Broadcast Amid Dismal TV Rating

The PGA Tour is under the spotlight again for its TV ratings. Jay Monahan & co. have been under constant stress ever since LIV Golf came into the picture. They have had issues on various verticals while competing with the Saudi-based league. The PGA Tour has lost players, and the support of fans, and has been constantly questioned by media outlets. Another issue that has gained a lot of spotlight is their incredibly slow pace of play. All these factors have had a major impact on the PGA Tour’s TV ratings.

The 2024 season saw the Tour suffer a 3% loss in viewership, whereas its rivals experienced an increase of 50%. Even the season-opening event of 2025, The Sentry, saw a decline in viewership. Unlike the 2024 edition of the tournament, which had 707K viewers, the number for Hideki Matsuyama’s record-breaking win was only 461 K. An insider believes that the PGA Tour’s broadcast partners are also making amends with their advertisers to ensure that they, too, don’t suffer losses.

Speaking about this, Smylie Kaufman & Charlie Hulme had another great podcast of The Smylie Show on YouTube. In one of the segments, Hulme brought to attention the information shared by another analyst on X of all the shots that were not televised and the length of commercial breaks among other things. After going through all the information, Hulme stated, “The place you’re putting the blame, for a lot of people, the broadcasters is maybe not the correct place.” He believes that the fans shouldn’t blame the broadcasters for missing out on shots.

Hulme explains that broadcasters are responsible for ensuring that advertisements receive extensive coverage. If the viewership of an event like The Sentry drops, broadcasters must compensate by providing more airtime elsewhere. The analyst also mentions how because of the constant battle against LIV Golf, the PGA Tour is suffering with weaker fields. This is forcing the broadcasters to cover the differences with the advertisers even further. This has become a loop of issues that the PGA Tour can overcome only by hosting a massively successful event.

Hulme clarified that he doesn’t know the exact terms of the contracts between NBC Sports and their advertisers. But he just gave an idea about how the broadcast channel manages its advertising investors. How does this apply to the recent failures of TV ratings? Let’s take a deeper dive into the process.

PGA Tour needs to compromise for NBC

Based on the details provided by Charlie Hulme, it’s clear that the PGA Tour is also to be blamed for the lack of airtime. A lot of it boils down to their incredibly slow pace of play. Jay Monahan & co. need to take drastic measures to ensure the product is more entertaining. Moreover, participation in most of the events needs to be strong enough to attract viewers. The PGA Tour can’t afford to have 12 stars mysteriously missing from events. They need to make sure the biggest names go through with their commitments to participating in tournaments.

Apart from injured players, if other stars suddenly opt out of playing in tournaments then they should be interrogated about the same. With the PGA Tour facing its own share of problems with the investors, it would be wise to get things in order to ensure this isn’t a common occurrence throughout the season.

How can the PGA Tour improve its TV ratings for the remainder of the 2025 season? Share your views in the comments section.