“The Match” has been quite a lovable series for golf fans since back in 2018. What started as a simple exhibition between golf greats Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson has turned into a chance for fans to see athletes from other sports tee it up against each other and, additionally, give back to society as well. As the golf clubs clash and the crowd roars, an intriguing question about the numbers lingers.

Did the yesteryear edition surpass the audience count of the Champions for Charity match? While both events offered enticing matchups, the numbers don’t lie regarding which one captured the audience’s attention more.

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Unveiling the most-viewed version of ‘The Match’

The second event of The Match featured Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning competing against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. The match took place amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused an interruption in major live sports events. The Sheriff and seven-time Super Bowl winner brought their legendary competitive fire to the fairways, adding to the golf mastery of Woods and Mickelson.

The event was a captivating showdown that drew a massive viewership—an average of 5.8 million views. These figures led to the match being the most-viewed golf event in the history of cable television networks. The result was a contest that was equally thrilling and watchable. At the end, the real winner was charity, with the match raising millions for COVID relief.

In contrast, the 8th version of ‘The Match’ had Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce on the show. Kansas City Chiefs teammates outplayed Golden State Warriors stars at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. Mahomes and Kelce were in control from the start and only dropped one hole before finishing it on No. 10. The match had high hopes from the fans, but the numbers fell short of expectations.

The event averaged 773,000 viewers across multiple networks: TNT (580K), HLN (106K), and TruTV (87K). Audience numbers plunged compared to the previous version played by Mahomes in 2022, which garnered an average of 1.45 million viewers across the same trio of networks. Hence, claiming the title of the ‘Least-watched’ edition of The Match. 

Despite the disparity in viewership, both matchups offered moments worth watching. Looking back at the viewership performances of previous editions as they progressed, the debut of this event didn’t go as expected. The first edition of The Match did face some technical difficulties during live streaming of the event.

Technical hurdles interrupted the debut edition of The Match starring Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson

The live streaming of the event faced some technical glitches that prevented viewers from watching it dubbed. B/R Live sent them an email saying, ‘Due to a technical issue, we opted to let all visitors, regardless of purchase, view The Match’. This issue caused a letdown for the audience that had purchased the event. The customers who had paid $19.99 to watch this pay-per-view event live were promised to get the amount refunded.

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From clutch shots to friendly banter, each unique version of it captivates audiences worldwide. The Match has its 9th edition on the way with the LPGA and PGA Tour stars joining forces for the first time. The charity match will air on February 26. This leaves us with the question: Will this event surpass its previous version in terms of audience reach? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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