How The Masters Is Addressing Golf’s Attention Economy Deficit
Theo Rogers
9th Apr 2025
As golf’s audience fragments, The Masters leads the charge in reinventing how fans engage with the game.
Golf is facing a major challenge in the digital era. Viewership of traditional broadcasts is dropping, competition is intensifying from new leagues like LIV Golf and TGL, and fans’ attention spans are more divided than ever. But amidst this turbulence, The Masters 2025 is offering a glimpse into the future of the sport and how smart digital innovation can keep fans locked in.
Golf’s Fragmented Landscape: LIV, TGL, and a Changing Audience
Let’s face it, today’s golf landscape is splintered. With the PGA Tour losing consistent access to top-tier players thanks to LIV Golf and the arrival of the tech-driven TGL league, fans are spread thinner than ever. Traditional loyalty is taking a back seat to curiosity, novelty, and convenience.
Even with golf’s Olympic resurgence and the rise of influencer-driven YouTube Golf, the sport is feeling the pressure. Audience figures are falling. Last year’s Masters drew the lowest TV ratings in 30 years, with PGA Tour events also down around 20%.
But here’s the twist: while TV numbers have dipped, digital engagement is booming.
The Masters App: Golf’s Best Second-Screen Experience
Instead of fighting the trend, The Masters has leaned into it, and the results are impressive. In partnership with IBM, the tournament has transformed its app into a fully immersive, data-rich second-screen experience. And fans are responding.
📈 Google searches for “The Masters app” jumped 20.4% year-over-year, reaching a five-year high.
Why? Because the app gives fans exactly what they want in 2025:
🏌️♂️ Real-Time, Data-Driven Recaps: Insights like “No. 14 has played difficult today, with 25% of scores resulting in bogeys.”
📊 Performance-Based Projections: Dynamic, live updates such as “No. 9 is projected to be the third most difficult hole today.”
📚 Deep Historical Context: Drawing on over 180,000 past shots to deliver meaningful comparisons and insights – “Shots from this location result in a birdie 82% of the time.”
Plus, for fans with Apple Vision Pro, the experience is next level: a 3D, immersive Augusta National from the comfort of your own home.
From Second-Screen to First Choice
The Masters app is no longer just a companion to the TV, it’s becoming the primary viewing platform for many fans. Whether you’re tracking a single player, betting on hole-by-hole outcomes, or curating your own broadcast experience, the app offers a level of personalization traditional TV can’t match.
“Fan attention is the ultimate currency in sports, fuelling value for broadcasters, sponsors, and marketers. The Masters has realised that audiences want not just the ability to curate their own experience, but the data and analysis to go with it, leading to a fan attention migration rather than deficit during The Masters weekend.
The apps enhanced the experience for those who want to watch every shot, follow their favourite player(s) or dip in and out to see if their bets are going to come in or not. The fan experience delivered through the app is in part due to effort and thought put into the engineering and features but also through The Master’s unique approach to broadcast rights and what they’re able to offer & retain.
I have no doubt that The Masters overall audience figures, taking app usage into account, will continue to set the benchmark for other traditional golf events and serves to underline the importance of innovation and curation to provide audiences with the content that they want.”
Michael Harvey, Head of Strategy
Golf’s Digital Growth: The Social Media Surge
The Masters isn’t the only one benefiting from digital innovation. According to WePlay’s Power Rankings, golf is booming on social media:
Big names like Bryson DeChambeau have used platforms like YouTube to reshape their public image and connect directly with fans, something traditional formats have struggled to achieve.
What Comes Next for Golf?
While much of professional golf is still navigating fractured loyalties and outdated formats, The Masters has quietly built a blueprint for the future, one that puts fan experience at the centre, embraces technology, and acknowledges the evolving dynamics of attention in the sports world.
In a sport where tradition often reigns supreme, The Masters is showing that innovation doesn’t have to mean compromise. It just has to meet fans where they already are.
Need more info? Contact us
