In 2024, the PGA Tour’s Sunday telecasts (excluding majors) averaged a mere 2.2 million viewers. This is a 19% drop from 2023, where it was 2.7 million. Despite having talented players like Scottie Scheffler, who won seven events, including the Masters, and earned $8 million through the Player Impact Program, viewership remains a struggle. In response, the PGA Tour is shaking things up by introducing leaner broadcasts with faster pacing, reducing commercial load, and focusing on shot cadences that resonate with fans.

By streamlining broadcasts and exploring new formats, including data-driven and immersive experiences, the PGA Tour aims to boost fan engagement and revitalize interest in the sport. The efforts look to have brought some positive outcomes. Just days back, NBC Sports reported that their telecast of the PGA Tour has shown six back-to-back weeks of year-on-year increase on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital properties.

Starting with the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld (Feb. 22-23) until the Texas Children’s Houston Open (March 29-30), the coverage on NBC and Peacock had an average Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.2 million viewers across 41 hours of coverage. This is a 10% increase from the same six events last year. One of the interesting steps taken by the PGA Tour that might have a positive impact on the viewership is the docuseries ‘Full Swing’ that the Tour produced in association with Netflix. It gave a deeper look at the behind-the-scenes life of the golfers to portray their humane side to the fans. However, not everyone is on board with such exposure of personal life.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Throwbacks on YouTube, Justin Thomas revealed his strong reservations about the PGA Tour’s attempts to boost viewership. Thomas expressed concerns about the documentary series Full Swing, saying he wants to keep his personal life and family out of the spotlight.

“Full Swing is is interesting because it’s you know it is great and and we’ve, I think gained a lot of fans because of it but as somebody who’s who’s on it, it’s like for I don’t like to, I want to keep my personal life and my wife and family out of it. Obviously it’s their show so they rightfully would love to be filming us,  they would do anything that I would allow but just for us personally, I’m like “Hey guys, like my wife doesn’t need to sit down do an interview she doesn’t want to, like, we just we want to keep this part of our life separate,” Thomas said.

He also feels that his life isn’t as captivating as other athletes. “I’m not that interesting, I play golf like, 25 weeks of the year,” he joked. He recalled attending a pro-am event with YouTuber Grant Horvat, where he was surprised by the number of people who recognized Horvat. “Dude, don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t believe how many people know who you are out here,” Thomas said, finding it both unbelievable and weird. Thomas’s concerns about the PGA Tour’s direction are multifaceted. He feels that the tour is facing a lot of uncertainty, particularly with the ongoing negotiations and potential changes to the tour’s structure.

“We just have so much like unknown going on, on the professional side of our sport,” Thomas said. He’s also aware of the changing landscape of sports broadcasting, with streaming services like Amazon and ESPN+ becoming increasingly popular. As a sports fan, Thomas enjoys watching documentaries on other sports, like the NFL and NHL, but feels that his own life isn’t as captivating. “I’m watching these other documentaries on the, you know, the wide receivers or you know the NHL and it’s just like it’s so awesome and I’m like ‘God that’s so cool.’ And I’m sitting here I’m like ‘I’m a hypocrite.'”

“Like I’m the one that doesn’t want to almost like give it but then it’s when I watch it and it’s just weird to think that that’s what people think about us,” he admitted, recognizing the disconnect between his own desires for privacy and his appreciation for similar content in other sports. Now, the irony is that the golfer has made some contradictory statements about fan engagement.

Justin Thomas shifted gears on fan engagement

The two-time Major winner and former world number one has called on his fellow PGA Tour golfers to give more access to the circuit’s broadcast partners to improve the televised product and boost fan engagement. This move comes after the PGA Tour saw a decline in television viewership last year

Thomas suggested players consider more collaborations with broadcasters, such as doing interviews before and during rounds and wearing microphones during events. He pointed to how other sports leagues, like the NFL, have their head coaches do ‘five to ten second’ pre-round questions, and how a similar format could better inform fans watching on TV.

He has since conducted in-round interviews at recent events and now believes players should “just be open to possibilities and changes” to help improve the broadcast. He emphasized that by working together, golfers can create a better product that benefits everyone involved, including fans and the tour itself. “The more I think about it, the more I feel us giving more access and insight can make a world of difference,” Thomas wrote.

His comments have been welcomed by several broadcasters, including CBS commentator Jim Nantz, who said that showcasing players and their personalities would be beneficial for everyone involved. What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comment section below!