The debate over whether Scottie Scheffler’s dominance is good for engagement has received a compelling argument from the pro camp this week after it was reported that both US and UK broadcasters saw significant upturns in TV ratings at the 153rd Open Championship.
Scheffler swept all aside at Royal Portrush to claim his first Claret Jug and fourth Major of his career by four strokes – at one point building up a seven-shot lead during Sunday’s final round.
And while the jeopardy of the championship’s fate effectively disappeared into the Northern Irish sky once Scheffler birdied his 55th hole, host broadcaster, Sky Sports reported its most-watched coverage ever throughout the four days.
The UK broadcaster generated 21.2 million viewer hours across the championship, which averaged out at a 36% increase from 2024. Each individual round of The Open achieved a record average audience on Sky Sports, with a reported year-on-year growth in terms of both average and peak viewership.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, TV audiences grew steadily throughout the week, with an average of 338,000 tuning in on Thursday and peaking at 572,000 for round one – the latter figure was up 49% YoY while the former grew by 39%.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
An average of 378,000 (peak 622,000) was recorded during the second round before a significant jump as the action headed into the weekend.
The TV audience averaged almost 600,000 on Saturday, peaking at 851,000, before the final round welcomed an average of 681,000 which was up 41% from 2024.
Sky Sports said its audience peaked at 1.14 million, which was 19% higher than Xander Schauffele‘s victory march 12 months prior.
A Sky Sports spokesperson said: “These record-breaking figures highlight Sky’s continued investment in delivering world-class golf coverage, combining cutting-edge innovation, expert analysis, and compelling storytelling to bring fans closer to the action than ever before.”
The Open TV Ratings: Sky Sports
|
Round |
Average Audience (YoY Increase) |
Peak Audience (YoY Increase) |
|---|---|---|
|
Round 1 |
338,000 (39%) |
572,000 (49%) |
|
Round 2 |
378,000 (38%) |
622,000 (26%) |
|
Round 3 |
590,000 (32%) |
851,000 (16%) |
|
Round 4 |
681,000 (41%) |
1.14m (19%) |
Meanwhile, the uptick in TV viewership was not only felt in the British Isles, but also in the United…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly…