Quick Thoughts on the Masters Coverage Window Expansion

Augusta National dropped some fairly impactful news about their flagship tournament on Tuesday. Starting in 2025, the weekend will see the Saturday broadcast window on CBS expanded by an hour, meaning it will now mirror Sunday’s 2-7 p.m. coverage slot. Beyond that, though, the tournament will feature an extra two hours on both weekend days at noon, albeit streaming on Paramount+.

ANGC has always erred on the side of scarcity both in general and when it comes to the Masters, commendable in a sport characterized by what currently feels like a surplus of supply (hello, aforementioned Procore Championship.) That said, in recent years the enforced restriction had grown somewhat out of step with modern broadcasting trends, technology, and consumer demand. We want to be able to see every shot, preferably in the easiest fashion possible (which remains network television, no matter what the executives in charge of those networks try to tell us when pimping their various underwhelming streaming services.) That extra Saturday hour might not feel like much in September, but it’ll be very nice to have in April.

CBS, meanwhile, gets to add an extra four hours of exclusive weekend coverage to its own underwhelming streaming service. That will absolutely be an in-demand window sure to drive plenty of sign-ups from folks who forget to disable auto-renew, increasingly and bemusedly the most important customer class of all.

All that said: this is more golf on offer from perhaps the most iconic event in the sport. Access is better than no access, and given how impossible it remains to get onto the grounds for many (and how relatively limited these broadcast windows remain), Augusta National shouldn’t worry about ruining any of their carefully cultivated mystique.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.