PGA Tour’s flagship event, The PLAYERS Championship, often touted as the ‘fifth major,’ will soon be kicking off at TPC Sawgrass on March 12.  While the PGA Tour celebrates strong on-site business at the Players, the league continues to wrestle with a persistent problem centered on the decline in television audiences. And now the Tour is quietly rolling out a new digital feature to have a positive impact on their TRP.

“The @PGATOUR has added a “Tourcast Range” feature to its website/app this week at @THEPLAYERS.  It’ll feature real-time shot data/tracing from every player that hits the range Monday-Sunday. Available at Signatures/playoffs as well this season,” read an X update from Sports Business Journal’s journalist, Josh Carpenter.

The “Tourcast Range” addition to the Tour’s digital platforms would help in tracking every shot hit on the practice range in real time. The feature is Integrated into the existing TOURCast system, as it uses ShotLink data to deliver live shot tracing, 3D visualization, and advanced statistics. The tour believes that this might offer the television fans a new way to follow players and judge their techniques with a unique approach.

Back in 2024, the Sunday’s final round drew just 3.53 million viewers. Not only did it see a dip compared to the last year, but it was the lowest mark for the event in a decade. In 2025, however, the tour buckled up and gained a rise in viewership by 22% compared to the last season. 

The dip in viewership has been attributed to several factors. The absence of the golfing legend, Tiger Woods on the greens alongside a lack of dominant and widely recognizable stars might have taken a toll on the viewership. The numbers reportedly might have also been impacted because of fan fatigue around the then ongoing rivalry with LIV Golf.

But despite the television ratings and viewership facing the wrath, the attendance and on-site revenue at TPC Sawgrass stadium continued to remain strong. Meanwhile, as the tour tries to figure out the ways to improve audience engagement, let’s take a look at the broadcasting details for the 2026 Players Championship.

How golf fans can watch The Players Championship live worldwide

In 2024, Scottie Scheffler became the first player in the 50-year history of The Players Championship to successfully defend his title. This year, Rory McIlroy has the opportunity to etch history by achieving the same feat if he secures the win at the greens of TPC this March.

Golf Channel and NBC have gathered the rights to cover the event live for the audience of the United States for all four consecutive days. Adding to that, golf fans can stream the event online via PGA Tour Live and ESPN+.

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports Golf has the rights to broadcast the event. Audiences from around the globe will, however, have to depend upon the PGA Tour’s global broadcast partners.