Is the Masters still on the BBC? Where can I watch the highlights?
If you were looking forward to watching the Masters on the BBC this week, think again: the corporation has no TV coverage whatsoever, with Sky Sports holding the exclusive rights.
The BBC used to be the UK home of the Masters and showed all four days of play from Augusta every year from 1986 to 2010.
Up until 2022 it at least had daily highlights, but even that disappeared last year when the public-funded broadcaster opted not to renew the rights.
The move was blamed on cost-cutting, although the highlights package is reported to have cost £1m annually – less than the salary of the BBC’s top earner, Gary Lineker.
Is there any free-to-air TV coverage of the Masters?
No. The BBC stopped its highlights package last year, so UK golf fans can only watch the tournament on Sky Sports.
Sky Sports is not showing any live Masters coverage on its YouTube channel, which it sometimes uses to distribute content more widely.
The best way to see free video from Augusta is probably via the , which allows you to watch individual shots on demand.
The BBC does have UK radio rights, however, so there is one way to tune into live coverage that isn’t behind a paywall.
What does Sky Sports’ Masters coverage look like?
For the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday, Sky is showing featured groups from 2pm-7:30pm before switching to live coverage.
On Saturday coverage starts with build-up from 3pm followed by live action at 7:30pm. Sunday follows the same pattern but with live coverage of the final round teeing off at 6:30pm.
If all of that isn’t enough, Sky is also showing a Masters Breakfast show from 9am to 11am on both Saturday and Sunday.
Does the BBC still show the Open Championship?
Happily for those without a Sky Sports subscription, the Beeb does still have TV coverage of the Open, golf’s oldest major.
It only shows daily highlights, however, after Sky replaced it as the live broadcaster in 2016.
Like the Masters, the other two men’s majors – the US Open and US PGA Championship – are only available on the satellite broadcaster in the UK.