PGA Championship to be on BBC

[Dave230]

So Sky Sports lost the rights to the final major of the year last week, with PGA of America looking for broader distribution channels. The BBC were successful with their bid, meaning it's going to be on free to air for all of the UK & Ireland and beyond.

 

Quite big news here. BBC lost the Open last year to Sky and only have two days of Masters coverage so it's big for them to have some live golf again, especially a major. The difference in the number of viewers of a tournament on BBC vs Sky is massive. PGA have given up the money route in favour of greater reach.

 

So the least talked about major is probably going to have greater ratings in the UK than the Open now. It's a multi year deal so it will be interesting if it changes perceptions of the PGA Championship here, think most casual fans would take it or leave it usually.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/golf/2017/07/18/golf-returns-bbc-deal-show-uspga-championship/amp/

[Darth Putter]

I wonder if a move to May by the PGA will create any conflicts for the BBC. (soccer?)

[PGArox]

I wonder if a move to May by the PGA will create any conflicts for the BBC. (soccer?)

 

I really hope the PGA Championship does not move to May. I think that would be a big mistake. I have always hoped for a late September date.

[Nick6771]

I wonder if a move to May by the PGA will create any conflicts for the BBC. (soccer?)

 

I think the Beeb only show the FA Cup live now so even if it clashed with the final it wouldn't be an issue because of the time difference. They also have a "red button" channel which they use from time to time.

 

I wonder if a move to May by the PGA will create any conflicts for the BBC. (soccer?)

 

I really hope the PGA Championship does not move to May. I think that would be a big mistake. I have always hoped for a late September date.

 

Would that cause problems for Ryder / Presidents Cups?

[MattyO1984]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

[i*windows]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

 

woeful, really? when they had the open they had uninterrupted coverage for 8 hours a day, some of the commentators may be past there prime but woeful it definitely isn't.

[Dave D]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

 

woeful, really? when they had the open they had uninterrupted coverage for 8 hours a day, some of the commentators may be past there prime but woeful it definitely isn't.

 

I have to say the only plus point of The Open on the BBC was no adverts. The commentators were awful. Sky has really gone to town with the shot tracers and commentary team, plus I love the addition of CH3 in the shot centre.

[rukahs]

Peter Alliss commentating the PGA???! oh yes......

[jubilee_links]

To be honest I think Ewan Murray is starting to go down the Alliss route - if you watch enough Sky coverage its the same old lines being churned out.

 

Andrew Cotter is pretty good and get Sam Torrance back in the box and you have a winner.

 

Bottom line is that you reach more people on free to air (which presuemably the professional golfers association want) so more people get inspired and participate

[scruffynick]

I wonder if a move to May by the PGA will create any conflicts for the BBC. (soccer?)

 

I really hope the PGA Championship does not move to May. I think that would be a big mistake. I have always hoped for a late September date.

I agree keep at it is.....may is the end of season, fa cup final and champions league.... They're just huge and I mean massive in the UK. Plus I like the pga being the final major and we're losing too much tradition for TV ratings

[scruffynick]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

Really?? It's better than dull sky which is utterly dreadful. Allis hardly does any now and you add in azinger, cotter, faldo in majors, brown and grady I mean there's majors winners there that now alot more than friggin Murray?!

[MattyO1984]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

Really?? It's better than dull sky which is utterly dreadful. Allis hardly does any now and you add in azinger, cotter, faldo in majors, brown and grady I mean there's majors winners there that now alot more than friggin Murray?!

 

You're coming back at me with Wayne Grady...haha.

[Dave D]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

Really?? It's better than dull sky which is utterly dreadful. Allis hardly does any now and you add in azinger, cotter, faldo in majors, brown and grady I mean there's majors winners there that now alot more than friggin Murray?!

 

You're coming back at me with Wayne Grady...haha.

another plus is that the BBC don't have that idiot wayne riley, man seems to know next to nothing about the modern game and to top it all off he stole by bottle of water at the Volvo world matchplay in 2014. Not that I hold a grudge or anything.....

[Dave230]

The younger guys are good, Andrew Cotter is one of the best I think, and they usually get at least one very good international analyst on the show. But Peter Alliss should call it a day, he's 86. He was a fantastic commentator in his day, but everyone gets past their best, that's why we have retirement. Every time he commentates these days he seems to make an inappropriate comment and I don't even really blame him, I'm sure I'll say inappropriate things relative to the time when I'm 86.

[i*windows]

let's just be happy it's free!

[rukahs]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

Really?? It's better than dull sky which is utterly dreadful. Allis hardly does any now and you add in azinger, cotter, faldo in majors, brown and grady I mean there's majors winners there that now alot more than friggin Murray?!

 

You're coming back at me with Wayne Grady...haha.

another plus is that the BBC don't have that idiot wayne riley, man seems to know next to nothing about the modern game and to top it all off he stole by bottle of water at the Volvo world matchplay in 2014. Not that I hold a grudge or anything.....

 

Haha I like Radar! he's proper funny.

[MMB1500]

As professional as the Sky coverage is, this is really good news IMO. For one, it's nice to see Sky's hegemony on golf being broken and opening this tournament up to the country to watch for free, something which can only help participation in the sport.

 

Secondly, I don't think the BBC coverage is as bad as some are making out. Hazel Irvine is a big loss and Alliss is obviously past it, but Cotter and Torrence aren't so bad. I don't even mind Maureen Madil on the course. It's not as if the Sky commentators are all great either. Mark Roe for instance is a crashing bore and his routine generally repeats one of fifteen stock phrases over and over again.

 

Credit to the US PGA for having the nous to realise that money isn't everything and that reaching a wider audience is probably more beneficial to golf and their own long term interests.

[Hawkeye77]

So Sky Sports lost the rights to the final major of the year last week, with PGA of America looking for broader distribution channels. The BBC were successful with their bid, meaning it's going to be on free to air for all of the UK & Ireland and beyond.

 

Quite big news here. BBC lost the Open last year to Sky and only have two days of Masters coverage so it's big for them to have some live golf again, especially a major. The difference in the number of viewers of a tournament on BBC vs Sky is massive. PGA have given up the money route in favour of greater reach.

 

So the least talked about major is probably going to have greater ratings in the UK than the Open now. It's a multi year deal so it will be interesting if it changes perceptions of the PGA Championship here, think most casual fans would take it or leave it usually.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/golf/2017/07/18/golf-returns-bbc-deal-show-uspga-championship/amp/

 

I think the PGA gets talked about so much for things outside of the actual event each year (same old stuff about its identity and worthiness, lol) that it probably ends up actually talked about more than the U.S. Open.

 

Good for the BBC.

[MMB1500]

Here's an article on the future of The Open and whether golf can survive:

 

https://www.theguard...vive-modern-era

 

"It is a statement of fact not prophesy that fewer people will watch the Open at Birkdale than the 4.7 million who were transfixed by Harrington’s 2008 triumph. Last year Sky got 1.1 million viewers for its Bafta-winning coverage of the shootout between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Troon – highly impressive for a subscription TV channel but still a notable drop. The BBC will show the US PGA Championship this year but for golf to prosper, it needs to be shown on terrestrial television more regularly."

[KennyP]

Sky's coverage is excellent (live broadcast from first tee shot until gone 7pm, loads of camera angles etc) but their commentary is awful; listening to the 'expert' analysis of Paul McGinley, Mark Roe & Rich Beem spouting the usual platitudinous drivel is tiresome. I know Dustin and Rory are long enough to overpower any course. I know Phil has the creativity to win anywhere etc, etc. The two on sky who do have something different to say are Tony Johnstone & Nick Dougherty and they don't get to cover the majors.

[corky]

Anything but Sky........Murray and his 'running the ball up the face of a wedge to impart backspin sheeite'. I refuse to subscribe to Sky so this is great news for me.....and if you dislike Aliss etc. You can watch with the sound down.......two thumbs up from me.

[Stall]

Two ways to look at it, maybe even three.

 

For people without access to Sky, those who don’t know about NowTV or don’t want to pay anything at all, this is a good thing. No-one can argue that it won’t open up the audience.

 

For those of us who have watched sky develop its golf coverage into what is infact superb now, then it’s a real kick in the balls. The BBC bring nothing to the table sadly. All the innovation which Sky have provided, all the investment, nah just give it to the BBC who are only going to show it on red button and won’t provide the same hours of golf coverage.

 

The Open preview shows which Sky have put out the last 2 nights have been fantastic. The 5 minute sessions in the Open Zone with Westwood, Rahm, Stenson, et all demonstrating their shots and talking through technique have been superb. The quality of most of the sky presenters is top notch. We even got the benefits of Sky ditching Monty, and now we hear Monty is going to turn up on the beeb.

 

We can only hope that the BBC take this opportunity seriously. They invest in their golf productions and learn from what Sky have been doing rather than repeating their tired format.

[corky]

'The BBC bring nothing'.......... No bloody adverts and no subscription......that's not nothing to me......

[scruffynick]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

Really?? It's better than dull sky which is utterly dreadful. Allis hardly does any now and you add in azinger, cotter, faldo in majors, brown and grady I mean there's majors winners there that now alot more than friggin Murray?!

 

You're coming back at me with Wayne Grady...haha.

Yeah, he's won the pga and loads more. Think he's earned the right to be listened to

[MattyO1984]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

Really?? It's better than dull sky which is utterly dreadful. Allis hardly does any now and you add in azinger, cotter, faldo in majors, brown and grady I mean there's majors winners there that now alot more than friggin Murray?!

 

You're coming back at me with Wayne Grady...haha.

Yeah, he's won the pga and loads more. Think he's earned the right to be listened to

 

Sadly, being good at golf and being able to communicate don't go hand in hand. Grady is awful in the booth.

[duffer987]

Here's an article on the future of The Open and whether golf can survive:

 

https://www.theguard...vive-modern-era

 

"It is a statement of fact not prophesy that fewer people will watch the Open at Birkdale than the 4.7 million who were transfixed by Harrington’s 2008 triumph. Last year Sky got 1.1 million viewers for its Bafta-winning coverage of the shootout between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Troon – highly impressive for a subscription TV channel but still a notable drop. The BBC will show the US PGA Championship this year but for golf to prosper, it needs to be shown on terrestrial television more regularly."

 

And the rest. I was living in England during the 2005 Ashes and the exposure that series had, being free to air on Channel 4 and following on in the papers was something else.

I'm no cricket follower, but along with some friends who were I watched a lot of it, as did lots of other casual viewers. Cricket/Sky went for the cash off the back of that and golf unfortunately seems the same.

 

Stenson v Phil was the best stroke play golf I can remember watching. It was stirring stuff and it's a shame to think you needed to have a subscription or go to a spot that is paying 5 figures a year to have a commercial license for it.

[MMB1500]

The chief blazer at the R&A has called the BBC Coverage "tired and outdated".

 

Whilst he's not wrong, he doesn't seem to mind the fact that last year's final round, possibly one of the greatest ever, had 3 million less viewers than when it was on the BBC the year before. He cites the fact that the Sky coverage won a BAFTA as evidence of their move to Sky being a success.

 

Talk about getting your priorities wrong.

 

https://www.theguard...hampionship-bbc

[MMB1500]

Here's an article on the future of The Open and whether golf can survive:

 

https://www.theguard...vive-modern-era

 

"It is a statement of fact not prophesy that fewer people will watch the Open at Birkdale than the 4.7 million who were transfixed by Harrington’s 2008 triumph. Last year Sky got 1.1 million viewers for its Bafta-winning coverage of the shootout between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Troon – highly impressive for a subscription TV channel but still a notable drop. The BBC will show the US PGA Championship this year but for golf to prosper, it needs to be shown on terrestrial television more regularly."

 

And the rest. I was living in England during the 2005 Ashes and the exposure that series had, being free to air on Channel 4 and following on in the papers was something else.

I'm no cricket follower, but along with some friends who were I watched a lot of it, as did lots of other casual viewers. Cricket/Sky went for the cash off the back of that and golf unfortunately seems the same.

 

Stenson v Phil was the best stroke play golf I can remember watching. It was stirring stuff and it's a shame to think you needed to have a subscription or go to a spot that is paying 5 figures a year to have a commercial license for it.

 

Precisely. The Ashes is a great example of how a sporting event captivated the nation, including lots of non-cricket fans, largely due to the fact that anyone with a TV could tune in and watch it.

 

The R&A, along with their counterparts at the USGA, make a lot of bold talk about growing the game. Yet surely chasing the money and moving The Open to a subscription channel (Sky) which has resulted in a 75% drop in viewing figures is completely counterproductive to "growing the game". The blazers at the R&A seem to think that the move has been a success because we now have Protracer on more shots and the production values are better. Unfortunately this completely misses the point.

 

Whilst Sky is undoubtedly a far superior viewing experience (in spite of the endless betting ads), do you think a casual viewer, who wants to tune in to The Open, and who might actually be inspired to take up the sport of golf through watching this fine championship, gives a sh!t whether the coverage has Protracer or not? The answer is a resounding no. The excitement of the sport, such as last year's contest, speaks for itself.

[MattyO1984]

BBC coverage of the Golf! Great, so we'll have Peter Allis talking about seagulls whilst Jordan Spieth putts and Ken Brown chasing after a rubber duck.

 

It's great that it's available to watch in the UK the BBC coverage of Golf is beyond woeful.

 

woeful, really? when they had the open they had uninterrupted coverage for 8 hours a day, some of the commentators may be past there prime but woeful it definitely isn't.

 

I'd rather a 60 second advert than listen to Peter Allis giving the senior section champion from a golf course I have never heard a shout out whilst the camera pans in on a couple sitting eating their sandwiches at the side of the 7th hole.

 

The BBC is so far behind in covering golf it is embarrassing. When they last hosted an Open in 2015 rather than showing live golf all day like Sky would have done, they instead showed repeats of Bargain Hunt. Contrast that with Sky winning a BAFTA for the quality of their coverage from the same tournament last year.

[MattyO1984]

Here's an article on the future of The Open and whether golf can survive:

 

https://www.theguard...vive-modern-era

 

"It is a statement of fact not prophesy that fewer people will watch the Open at Birkdale than the 4.7 million who were transfixed by Harrington’s 2008 triumph. Last year Sky got 1.1 million viewers for its Bafta-winning coverage of the shootout between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Troon – highly impressive for a subscription TV channel but still a notable drop. The BBC will show the US PGA Championship this year but for golf to prosper, it needs to be shown on terrestrial television more regularly."

 

And the rest. I was living in England during the 2005 Ashes and the exposure that series had, being free to air on Channel 4 and following on in the papers was something else.

I'm no cricket follower, but along with some friends who were I watched a lot of it, as did lots of other casual viewers. Cricket/Sky went for the cash off the back of that and golf unfortunately seems the same.

 

Stenson v Phil was the best stroke play golf I can remember watching. It was stirring stuff and it's a shame to think you needed to have a subscription or go to a spot that is paying 5 figures a year to have a commercial license for it.

 

Precisely. The R&A, along with their counterparts at the USGA, make a lot of bold talk about growing the game. Surely chasing the money and moving golf to a subscription channel (Sky) which has resulted in a 75% drop in viewing figures is completely counterproductive to "growing the game". The blazers at the R&A seem to think that the move has been a success because we now have Protracer on more shots and the production values are better. Unfortunately this completely misses the point.

 

Whilst Sky is undoubtedly a a far superior viewing experience (in spite of the endless betting ads), do you think a casual viewer, who wants to tune in to The Open, and who might actually be inspired to take up the sport of golf through watching this fine championship, gives a sh!t whether the coverage has Protracer or not? The answer is a resounding no.

 

To be fair, if it was about growing the game, the PGA wouldn't have bothered having it on BBC on it either, they would be broadcasting it for free on social media.