‘Budget Cut After Budget Cut’: Cold Reality Behind PGA Tour’s TV Ratings Failure Exposed by Paul Azinger

The PGA Tour is losing the grasp it had on the golf world. What happened is when LIV Golf debuted, it poached many high-profile players from the Tour, and it has continued to do so, the latest defectors being Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and Adrian Meronk. The exit of these key players from the Tour had left fans bewildered, they were left with two options: whether to watch the PGA Tour events or their favorite players. Many chose the latter.

Which has significantly affected the PGA Tour’s audience count. The latest data about Genesis Invitational claims a 5% drop in the ratings from last year, and The Match also had 34% lower viewers tuning in, highlighting that the Tour or broadcaster cannot attract the public like before. In his recent interview, Paul Azinger reveals how the broadcasting channels are combating the low viewer count.

Paul Azinger reveals the gleaming reality of NBC suffering with a low viewer count

NBC did not renew Paul Azinger’s contract in November 2023 because they could not be on the same page. The broadcast channel offered Azinger a contract with comparatively less pay than before. Per his latest interview with Golf Week, it was done to keep broadcasting less expensive. Azinger said, “There was no plan going forward except to make the broadcast less expensive.”

The golf analyst revealed that since he joined NBC in 2018, “there was just budget cut after budget cut.” The channel had one goal, which “was to make the broadcast cost less money,” because the returns were not as large when the audience count was low. How did it affect the office and broadcasting? Azinger detailed, “We went from having towers to all in the same booth. We eliminated a couple of drones.”

In the process of making things affordable, the channel also cut down on many things. The former pro said, “Occasionally, you lose the airplane or the blimp,” then “lose the speed shots” and then the big camera that covers the ball from “the tee as it flies over the water.” Many things had been amiss from the broadcast. But where will the money be going? Azinger claimed, “They’re gonna pour all their money into the Players.”

The lack of interest from the public can account for many things, like the commercial load on NBC becoming a hassle for the audience. Moreover, with the cameras missing a golfer’s putt or moving slowly, the golf world has shared its grievances time and again. However, while the PGA Tour struggles, its counterpart, LIV Golf, has recently reached its best viewership.

LIV Golf reaches millions for LIV Golf Jeddah

It was not always like this; however, after Anthony Kim stepped up and became the Tiger Woods for LIV Golf, the viewership boosted through the roof. Kim teed up for his first professional round after 12 years in Jeddah on Friday. The people were curious to see Kim play and as a result, many turned to LIV Golf Jeddah instead of the Cognizant Classic.

Read More: Even Tiger Woods Can’t Help PGA Tour From Sinking? Genesis Invitational a Big Failure, Per Reports

Per NUCLR Golf’s tweet, in the opening round, the latest broadcast partner of LIV Golf, Caffeine TV had 2 million watching on its platform. On the other hand, the YouTube stream for the same attracted 208k people tuning in. Hitting the million mark is probably the highest for LIV Golf. But the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic had 260k people watching it. Proving that the intrigue for the breakaway circuit has been slowly rising.

Will the PGA Tour suffer through the hands of LIV in rating? Only time will tell.

Read More: The Anthony Kim Gamble Can Pay Huge Dividends for LIV Golf, Just Not Immediately