If you wanted to watch a “stream” of the Masters, you could technically do so already, but Augusta National Golf Club just took a major step toward further embracing the streaming world.
Masters chairman Fred Ridley announced a landmark agreement with Amazon Prime, who will contribute to the increased coverage of the famous golf tournament with coverage of Rounds 1 and 2 to open the week.
According to the announcement, the 2026 Masters will feature two additional hours of coverage on both Thursday and Friday on Prime Video. The streams will fill a coverage gap, with Prime Video coming on the air at 1 p.m. ET to deliver two hours of live coverage ahead of the ESPN broadcast that runs from 3 p.m. ET until play concludes (typically around 7 p.m. ET).
Masters Adds Even More Coverage With Prime Video Deal
“Working alongside Amazon in this capacity is an exciting opportunity for the Masters Tournament and its fans,” Ridley said in a statement. “We are proud of our longstanding partnerships with CBS Sports and ESPN, who have set the highest standard for broadcast coverage of the Masters. The addition of Amazon will only further our abilities to expand and enhance how the tournament is presented and enjoyed.”
This, of course, is all presumably in addition to the Masters’ own broadcast efforts. The tournament remains an industry leader with wall-to-wall coverage and highlights, offering fans — er, patrons — the ability to watch each and every shot from every player in the field on its app and website.
So, while tickets to the biggest golf tournament in the world remain nearly impossible to come by, at least fans have more options to watch than ever before. As Josh Carpenter noted for Sports Business Journal, the 2026 Masters will feature 27 hours of broadcast footage across its digital and linear partners, an incredible 50% increase from just two years ago when the 2024 tournament featured “only” 18 hours of coverage.
History of Masters TV Coverage
To say we’ve come a long way with on-screen coverage of the Masters is a major understatement. Augusta National has long been protective of its product and property, and it certainly valued scarcity. The first Masters broadcast, way back in 1956, showed just four holes.
Eventually, the broadcast did expand, but it happened slowly. It’s hard to believe, but all 18 holes of the final round’s final pairing wasn’t shown until 2002. Up until then, the broadcast joined the leaders midround and relied on storytelling from its on-course reporters to get fans caught up on the action.
“Historically, a part of the Masters TV philosophy has been exclusivity,” Seth Fairholm wrote for MyGolfSpy in 2024. “They didn’t want you to sit around and watch 12 hours on TV because that, in the minds of the tournament hosts, took away from the mythical nature the event.”
This announcement also comes at a key time in the history of Masters coverage. After a few years of lagging TV ratings, this past year delivered a massive number, thanks to Rory McIlroy’s dramatic back nine that led to him finally securing the green jacket in a playoff win over Justin Rose. The 12.7 million average viewers who tuned in for the final round marked the highest since 2018. Paired with increased TV ratings this season on the PGA Tour, it’s clear there’s an increased appetite for pro golf, and this deal should satisfy all involved, most importantly, the fans.
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