• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 8, 2025

U.S. Open TV Ratings Down 8% After Rain Delay, Underdog Winner

U.S. Open TV ratings were down at Oakmont Country Club, as rain delayed the final round and a first-time major champion winner took the victory.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

TV ratings for the U.S. Open were down a touch from last year but still relatively strong given the lack of star power on the leaderboard and a significant weather delay Sunday.

NBC and Peacock combined to average 5.4 million viewers for the final round, which suffered a roughly 90-minute stoppage of play as rain soaked Oakmont Country Club, before PGA Tour journeyman J.J. Spaun, a 150-to-1 pretournament underdog, beat Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre by two strokes.

That’s down just over 8% from last year’s U.S. Open, which averaged 5.9 viewers as Bryson DeChambeau outdueled Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. 

Before the weather delay began Sunday, final-round viewership was trending up 6% compared to the same time slot (noon to 4 p.m. ET). Ratings peaked at 9 million viewers just after 8 p.m. ET.

Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, who each finished tied for seventh, five strokes behind Spaun, were the highest-finishing previous major champions on the leaderboard.

Complete four-round U.S. Open coverage on linear channels NBC and USA Network averaged 2.9 million viewers, down from 3.1 million in 2024. That marks the second-most-watched East Coast U.S. Open since 2013. U.S. Opens at West Coast venues like Pebble Beach Golf Links traditionally draw higher TV ratings as they finish primetime viewing hours.

The 2025 U.S. Open, which included 10 and a half hours of exclusive coverage on Peacock, was the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history.

NBC is entering the final year of its USGA media-rights deal in 2026 and is currently negotiating a potential contract extension to keep broadcasting the U.S. Open and other championships.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Paige Bueckers
exclusive

Women’s March Madness Expansion Wouldn’t Yield More ESPN Money

ESPN is not required to pay extra if women’s March Madness expands.

An FSU Amateur Golfer Beat the World’s Best—but Can’t Accept $79K Prize

Top-ranked amateur Lottie Woad won the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Dan Orlovsky and Ryan Clark
exclusive

Dan Orlovsky, ESPN Agree to Terms for Contract Extension

Orlovsky had faced possible free agency this summer with his contract ending.
exclusive

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.

Featured Today

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
exclusive

CBS, NFL Host James Brown Discussing Contract Extension

The 74-year-old Brown has hosted a record 10 Super Bowl pregame shows.
Malika Andrews
exclusive
July 7, 2025

Joe Buck, Malika Andrews to Guest-Host ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’

Elle Duncan and Laura Rutledge have also had discussions.
July 7, 2025

ESPN Brings Pat McAfee to Atlanta for Home Run Derby Showcase

The Disney-owned network will bring one of its top stars to Atlanta.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
exclusive
July 3, 2025

ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap Strives to Discover Joey Chestnut’s Secret

Schaap calls his second Hot Dog Eating Contest July 4.
opinion
July 3, 2025

Caitlin Clark’s Media Supporters Pushing Harder Against Slights

Dick Vitale, Colin Cowherd, and others are accusing other WNBA players of jealousy.
exclusive
July 1, 2025

ESPN, Fox Reluctant to Share Talent With Netflix for Christmas NFL Games

ESPN talents who worked last year’s games include Laura Rutledge and Mina Kimes.
June 30, 2025

ESPN, MLB Relationship May Not Be Over After All

The parties restart rights talks amid a high-profile divorce in February.