Masters Ratings: Early Start Hurts Final Number But CBS Spins Positively

CBS has announced the ratings for the final round of The Masters on Sunday:

Now, while the best morning golf broadcast in 34 years sounds very good, in actuality they are mainly competing with the British Open here. Combining the final round and encore presentation is valid, but we also need to know that there was the opportunity cost here of losing CBS Sunday Morning and Face the Nation.

Per Sports Media Watch, last year’s Masters final round finished with a 7.9 rating. Per Richard Deitsch, the overnight rating last year was 8.7. It’s presumable that, with the drama of Tiger Woods winning, the ratings would have been higher on Sunday for the main event if it had been broadcasted at normal time instead of being moved earlier for inclement weather. However, CBS still in aggregate has a positive story to tell here.