Turner's 'The Match' sets revenue mark, but may not match 2020 record audience

This year's version of Turner Sports' "The Match" has set a revenue record but will be hard-pressed to equal last year's record-setting viewership performance.

Teeing off July 6 at 5 p.m. ET from the Reserve Course at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Mont., the fourth version of "The Match" pits six-time golf major winner Phil Mickelson and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady against 2020 U.S. Open golf championship winner Bryson DeChambeau and reigning NFL most valuable player Aaron Rodgers.

The event is sponsored by Capital One and has attracted a full roster of ad partners. This includes Warner Media LLC sister entities Warner Bros. and streaming service HBO Max, which will be supporting specific hole challenges.

The 2020 version of "The Match" had record viewership among cable golf telecasts. Source: TNT

Like today's charity exhibition event, the May 24, 2020, competition was simulcast across TNT (US), TBS (US) and truTV (US), and also aired on HLN (US). Those four outlets combined to average 5.8 million viewers, a record for a cable golf telecast. However, the 2020 exhibition, featuring Mickelson-Brady against 15-time golf major champion Tiger Woods and former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, was held on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend during the first two months of the pandemic, amid a dearth of live sports programming.

While this year's event faces a daunting challenge in trying to rival the record audience from May 24, 2020, it has generated the most revenue of Turner's four Matches, according to a company spokesman, who did not specify the amount.

Like its predecessors, this year's edition of "The Match" has sold out all of its sponsorship positions and the attendant commercial inventory. In addition to title sponsor Capital One, the roster includes presenting partners Corona Premier, Blockfolio by FTX and Progressive Insurance. DraftKings is returning as content integration partner, while AT&T Inc., Apple Inc., Callaway Golf, HBO Max, E-Z-GO, Taco Bell, Wheels Up, UKG and ZipRecruiter have secured associate partner positions.