The season’s most-anticipated event, the Masters, was broadcast on CBS Sports, ESPN, and Paramount+. But now, Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, makes a surprising new move to expand the coverage even further. In a recent announcement, Ridley said that Amazon Prime Video will be the new broadcaster of the early stages of the first two rounds, starting next year.

From 2026, the Masters will stream live on Prime Video from 1:00- 3:00 PM ET for the first two rounds and then will be taken over by ESPN from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM ET. Apart from the two broadcasters, the final two rounds will be telecast live on the CBS network from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM ET. It is a strategy to increase the exposure of the Masters to viewers. With Prime Video having a global user base, the chairman aims to expand the tournament’s horizons.

Ridley explained, “We are proud of our longstanding partnerships with CBS Sports and ESPN, which 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.” The financial details of the deal haven’t been made public.

The coverage will be extended to 27 hours with the new addition. The news comes weeks after the Masters announced it is expanding exemptions to national open winners while no longer granting automatic invites to winners of the PGA Tour Fall events. Well, the decision to add a new broadcaster is a significant advancement, but it is far from the sacred tradition of the tournament. The Masters has been committed to minimal commercial interruption and restricted broadcast rights. After the first broadcaster in 1956, Prime Video is the third to have the rights for the tournament.

However, fans are concerned about the decision to partner with Prime Video. One, they worry that it might be the first step towards Masters moving away from cable altogether. Secondly, they feel that a tournament steeped in tradition (Augusta National doesn’t allow mobile phones during the tournament) would be a bit shocking and somewhat ironic by roping in Prime Video.

Fans share the same worry about the Augusta National’s deal

One fan lashed out at the ANGC, writing, “Here goes the downfall of the tradition. Beginning of the end yall,” and “You know it’s a fundamental transformation when Augusta National sells out to fu**ing Amazon. Ughhh. Everyone has a price apparently. Or wants more money they will never spend.” Unlike CBS, which was free-to-air, Amazon Prime Video requires a paid subscription for viewers to have access.

For American viewers, the subscription starts from $14.99 per month and has a different model for each location. Now that being against the fundamentals of the tournament has left the fans questioning the move. Fans are even asking whether Jeff Bezos is a member of the club. However, not Bezos but the new CEO of Amazon has been a member of Augusta since 2024.

Another wrote, “Interesting. Augusta famously don’t [sic!] take money for domestic rights, so bringing Prime in, rather than opening up coverage to ESPN seems like a strange move. Wonder will Sky have these 2 hours unlocked to them also?” Rightly pointed out, compared to all the other sports or golf events, Augusta National does not sell its US domestic TV rights for money. Even for that model, Ridley has shared that “tradition and dignity” of the Masters is maintained with it. However, with the new addition to the broadcaster list, it remains unclear whether this will be retained or not.

Golf journalist James Colgan shared his thoughts, “MAJOR Masters TV announcement, and a serious coup for Amazon. America chooses presidents far more often than Augusta National chooses TV partners.” In the long history of the Masters, it is very rare to see changes or additions in broadcasters. CBS was the first in 1956, and then USA Network joined in 1982. But in 2008, USA Network was replaced by ESPN. Since then, the tournament has been following the same pattern. But now, after 17 years, there is a new addition to the list, and that too a streaming platform.

Joe Pompliano, noted analyst of sports business, chimed in: “The Masters just announced that Amazon Prime Video will air two hours of coverage on Thursday and Friday of next year’s tournament. That feels like a pretty significant step in the transition from cable to streaming for a tournament that has always been so buttoned up.”

Until now, Paramount+ was the only platform where fans could stream the live action from Augusta National on the go. However, with the addition of Amazon Prime Video, it has enhanced the reach and accessibility for fans worldwide. The platform has over 220 million users. A key reason why many sports leagues are partnering with Amazon. The streaming giant’s first big deal was with the NFL in 2021 when they secured the streaming rights of Thursday Night Football. Similarly, last year, the NFL announced a Christmas Day Tripleheader, which again, was on Prime Video.

But as is evident, fans have mixed reactions to ANGC’s deicision. It will be interesting to see how Fred Ridley maintains the traditional approach with the latest addition. Do you think it would be possible? Let us know in the comments below.