ESPN’s live telecast of the opening round of the PGA Championship on Thursday, Aug. 6, from TPC Harding Park in San Francisco averaged 1,246,000 viewers, making it the event’s most-viewed first round telecast since 2015 and the second-best opening round in the last 10 years.
ESPN’s telecast, which ran from 4-10:30 p.m. ET, peaked at 1,509,000 viewers between 7:15-7:30 p.m. ET and every quarter-hour of the telecast until 10 p.m. averaged more than 1 million viewers. Viewership was up 24 percent from last year’s first-round telecast on TNT and up 31 percent among adults ages 18-49.
Top local markets for the telecast with metered market rating:
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | 1.8 |
| West Palm Beach | 1.7 |
| San Francisco | 1.4 |
| Charlotte | 1.4 |
| Jacksonville | 1.3 |
| San Diego | 1.3 |
| Kansas City | 1.3 |
| Las Vegas, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Boston | 1.2 |
ESPN is in the first year of a new, 11-year deal to televise the PGA Championship, and is airing the event for the first time in 30 years
ESPN+ also featured extensive live streaming coverage throughout the day, including early coverage from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and 12 hours of Featured Groups on two streams.
ESPN’s PGA Championship coverage continues Saturday with live coverage of the third round on ESPN+ and ESPN. In addition, ESPN+ will have Featured Group coverage and Featured Hole coverage of No. 18 at TPC Harding Park. Saturday’s schedule:
| Third Round | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 1 (one morning, one afternoon) | 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Featured Group 2 (one morning, one afternoon) | 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Third Round | 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Featured Hole (18th) | 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
In addition, SportsCenter and ESPN.com will report from the PGA Championship throughout the weekend.
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