NBC Signals Beginning of the End for Golf Channel

[golfortennis]

It was posted by someone(maybe here, maybe another site) that TV people make TV shows to impress other TV people, not viewers.  Comcast has shown that to be the case.  They remove all $ for anything original, but say "make something with the scraps we're giving you."  And then you have Golf Today.  

 

What I want to know is where things like Swing Expedition and School of Golf fit on this.  Apparently, and thankfully, School of Golf is set to have a twelfth season. Are they "sold" to GC, or does GC produce them?  

 

Apparently GolfPass has been a major disaster.  Someone who has likely been promoted since made some very bad predictions about signups.  There is some good stuff in there, but they aren't monetizing it in an optimal manner.

 

If European Tour puts out a streaming app like Tennis.tv, I could drop GC.  

[acemandrake]

On 11/3/2021 at 4:29 PM, Mustard_Tiger said:

Peter Kessler is a genius. The normal rules do not apply.

A national treasure, really

[Titleist99]

I'll take an upbeat show like Golf Today than the sad sappy essays by Jimmy Roberts and Rich Lerner any day......

I watch TV as a distraction from my own problems, I don't want to take on others.....JMO

[jmcf1949]

On 11/3/2021 at 8:34 AM, bscinstnct said:

I used to watch GC all the time.

 

They need to bring back great programming like Sean  “The Beast” Fister!

 

 

I watched GC constantly until the incessant love affair with Woods. Whether he was playing or not. Coverage was over the top so I turned it off.

[Titleist99]

2 hours ago, jmcf1949 said:

I watched GC constantly until the incessant love affair with Woods. Whether he was playing or not. Coverage was over the top so I turned it off.

Tiger Woods WAS the golf channel for twenty plus years......now he's hardly mentioned, so disrespectful.

[SoCalTitleist]

USA channel used it be good back in the day now it’s crap.

[woods991]

Very insightful.

[PZero]

On 11/5/2021 at 9:05 PM, SoCalTitleist said:

USA channel used it be good back in the day now it’s crap.

 

Back in my day you could catch Miami Vice and Chips, then stick around for America Gladiators after.

 

 

[puttingmatt]

Golf Channel was never able to secure all four rounds of televised golf including the Majors. This sharing of television time between the other networks is the simple 

reason for its limited market growth. 

Viewership may have been on the decline ,

and NBC has control. Ultimately,  its their choice.

[NoTalentLefty]

On 11/4/2021 at 8:18 PM, Mustard_Tiger said:

 

 

This is why I'm not married.

Sure it is

[llewol007]

I really think Golf channel can save itself if it reran episodes of Law and Order and Impractical Jokers. If they do that between tournaments and in replacement of the 12 hour build up coverage before a big tournament like the Masters, they will survive. How many hours can you really take of hearing Chamblee and others on there talk for such a long time. You throw in Joe and Sal and the other Jokers and youve got yourself a winner. 🤣

[braincramp52]

On 11/3/2021 at 12:01 PM, PHILsThemannnn said:

Yeah it'll probably be on ESPN2 if they pick it up. I'll take it honestly, SVP and the whole ESPN golf crew is solid.  

I'd stop watching golf all together if I had to watch it on ESPN.

[imakaveli]

No King, no Golf Channel. Pitty.

 

Long live the King!

[Lobby]

Have any of you considered that there just isn't enough golf content to support a 24 hour golf channel?

I'll watch GC, when the Ladies are on.  Perhaps when an interesting men's tournament is on.

But the rest of the time?   It's just a bunch of talking heads;  no different than the 24 hr news channels.

[Pepperturbo]

On 11/3/2021 at 5:34 AM, bscinstnct said:

I used to watch GC all the time.

Me too.  Not much these days, just golf tournament programming.  I found college golf on other channels.  I think some of the numb nuts handling programming, don't know what they're doing.  As a result, TGC is slowly dying.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

21 minutes ago, Lobby said:

Have any of you considered that there just isn't enough golf content to support a 24 hour golf channel?

I'll watch GC, when the Ladies are on.  Perhaps when an interesting men's tournament is on.

But the rest of the time?   It's just a bunch of talking heads;  no different than the 24 hr news channels.

That's exactly correct. Like I've previously said, once the big corporate suits get involved often times they will try to force something into something it was never intended, all in effort to squeeze out more profit. Then they kill it. 

[acemandrake]

12 hours ago, braincramp52 said:

I'd stop watching golf all together if I had to watch it on ESPN.

Chris Berman refuses to retire...

[Tanner25]

So, what's the latest, will it end or drag on and just lose some tourney coverage to other TV channels? i do like the women's golf. They have style and look good these day and the great golf is a nice bonus.

[Titleist99]

3 hours ago, Lobby said:

Have any of you considered that there just isn't enough golf content to support a 24 hour golf channel?

I'll watch GC, when the Ladies are on.  Perhaps when an interesting men's tournament is on.

But the rest of the time?   It's just a bunch of talking heads;  no different than the 24 hr news channels.

Well, lets explore the possible content that could be televised on the Golf channel for extended entertainment if they had TV rights  to do  so:

 

PGATOUR--48 events 4rounds.
LPGA-----30 events 4rounds.
PGATOUR Champions ----28 events 3rounds.
NCAA 2022----31 events 4rounds USA network.
DP world tour----47 events 4rounds
Saudi golf league.....????
PGATOUR Live......???
Golf instruction archives.
Golf central, college central, golf today, etc...
Korn Ferry---26 events 4rounds.
Major Tournaments----4events 4rounds.

 

And a host of programming I'm sure not listed here.
My point is that there's enough content....do the they have the rights to it is another thing. IMO
.

[Titleist99]

3 minutes ago, Tanner25 said:

So, what's the latest, will it end or drag on and just lose some tourney coverage to other TV channels? i do like the women's golf. They have style and look good these day and the great golf is a nice bonus.

Totally agree 100%

[braincramp52]

20 minutes ago, acemandrake said:

Chris Berman refuses to retire...

20 years past due

[Lobby]

4 hours ago, Titleist99 said:

Well, lets explore the possible content that could be televised on the Golf channel for extended entertainment if they had TV rights  to do  so:

 

PGATOUR--48 events 4rounds.
LPGA-----30 events 4rounds.
PGATOUR Champions ----28 events 3rounds.
NCAA 2022----31 events 4rounds USA network.
DP world tour----47 events 4rounds
Saudi golf league.....????
PGATOUR Live......???
Golf instruction archives.
Golf central, college central, golf today, etc...
Korn Ferry---26 events 4rounds.
Major Tournaments----4events 4rounds.

 

And a host of programming I'm sure not listed here.
My point is that there's enough content....do the they have the rights to it is another thing. IMO
.

Yep. There’s plenty of content, but it’s cheaper for TGC to put up talking heads than to actually send reporters out to the field. 
 

do they really think the only thing we care about are thurs thru Sunday scores?

[Titleist99]

28 minutes ago, Lobby said:

Yep. There’s plenty of content, but it’s cheaper for TGC to put up talking heads than to actually send reporters out to the field. 
 

do they really think the only thing we care about are thurs thru Sunday scores?

Apparently so or they wouldn't bombard us with infomercials and the same repeats of tin cup, Bobby Jones, Caddyshack, etc......LOL!

[golfortennis]

On 11/10/2021 at 11:12 PM, Titleist99 said:

Apparently so or they wouldn't bombard us with infomercials and the same repeats of tin cup, Bobby Jones, Caddyshack, etc......LOL!

 

considering I cannot unsee the Adam and Eve infomercial I saw on a channel early Thursday morning, I kind of want some other infomercials to drive that one deep into the recesses of my brain.

 

[bscinstnct]

So, I’m getting a little worried now lol

 

They aren’t really getting rid of GC right?

 

I never watch it but..

 

I mean, it’s like living in NYC. You never go to any of the museums, historical icons, or cultural venues.

 

But it’s just good to know you could if you wanted to ; )

 

 

[grm24]

6 minutes ago, bscinstnct said:

They aren’t really getting rid of GC right?

It's unlikely if one believe NBC Universal themselves. Especially after moving their hq to Connecticut and being part of the new 9 year PGA Tour golf rights reals that starts in January. If anything in the future I would not be surprised if the GC ends up being co-branded PGA Tour channel. Of course with Comcast/NBC Universal anything could happen.

 

This was announced when NBCSN was going away. From Jan of 2021. 

 

https://theathletic.com/news/nbc-to-shut-down-nbcsn/ZJazqXbpYWCh/

 

"At the conclusion of 2021, we have decided that the best strategic next step for our Sports Group and the entire company is to wind down NBCSN completely, with key elements of NBCSN's programming moving to USA Network and, in some cases Peacock for 2022 and beyond," NBCUniversal said in the memo.

 

The Golf Channel and Olympic Channel, NBC’s other sports networks, will not be affected, according to Sports Business Journal, which first broke the story.

 

From 11/2/21: This article is specific to NBC only. 

 

https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/11/02/with-nbcsn-set-to-shutdown-on-dec-31-usa-network-will-expand-sports-programming-in-2022/

 

All PGA TOUR events remain exclusively on NBC or GOLF Channel.

 

 

[Greg_B]

On 11/13/2021 at 11:31 PM, grm24 said:

It's unlikely if one believe NBC Universal themselves. Especially after moving their hq to Connecticut and being part of the new 9 year PGA Tour golf rights reals that starts in January. If anything in the future I would not be surprised if the GC ends up being co-branded PGA Tour channel. Of course with Comcast/NBC Universal anything could happen.

 

This was announced when NBCSN was going away. From Jan of 2021. 

 

https://theathletic.com/news/nbc-to-shut-down-nbcsn/ZJazqXbpYWCh/

 

"At the conclusion of 2021, we have decided that the best strategic next step for our Sports Group and the entire company is to wind down NBCSN completely, with key elements of NBCSN's programming moving to USA Network and, in some cases Peacock for 2022 and beyond," NBCUniversal said in the memo.

 

The Golf Channel and Olympic Channel, NBC’s other sports networks, will not be affected, according to Sports Business Journal, which first broke the story.

 

From 11/2/21: This article is specific to NBC only. 

 

https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/11/02/with-nbcsn-set-to-shutdown-on-dec-31-usa-network-will-expand-sports-programming-in-2022/

 

All PGA TOUR events remain exclusively on NBC or GOLF Channel.

 

 

 

Remember that moving the GC to Stamford was totally a cost-saving/liquidation of assets move for NBC/U. The Orlando studios were deemed redundant and a few hundred personnel were cut loose. Now the GC production comes out of a single studio in the big NBC Sports Stamford facility using NBC people behind the scenes.

 

As for GC not being affected by the moves mentioned, that overlooks their loss of early-round NBC major coverage. Without that, it makes very little sense for GC to do a "Live From" production from those venues either, so it seems likely that will be going away too.

 

But don't give up hope! They are hiring a 2IC for Molly Solomon. Shape the future of GC broadcasts!

 

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2790637505/?eBP=NotAvailableFromMidTier&refId=wUa27eupgdUG8mPwzDdOAA%3D%3D&trackingId=wUa27eupgdUG8mPwzDdOAA%3D%3D

 

Now whether this is a replacement for Mike McCarley, or Geoff Russell (Molly's husband BTW), or something else entirely, who knows. With the end of the Tiger era though, it sounds like you would be producing much smaller, lower-budget shows.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Greg_B

[smashdn]

On 11/10/2021 at 12:52 PM, Lobby said:

Have any of you considered that there just isn't enough golf content to support a 24 hour golf channel?

 

There is plenty of content.  It is the cost of presenting the content that might be problematic.  

 

You have four good size male tours (PGA, EPGA(DP), Champions and KF), two women's (LPGA and LET) and countless college events.  But once you start getting "down the list" you run out of production support.  Not enough cameras, towers, etc. to effectively film it and produce it.

 

The "live from" stuff has to be infinitely easier to produce than an actual golf tournament.  Tons of swing clinic stuff they could put out there too if someone was willing to make it.  A launch monitor explanation show would get watched.  There are guys putting vids on youtube of launch monitor explanations with millions of views.

[Titleist99]

45 minutes ago, smashdn said:

 

There is plenty of content.  It is the cost of presenting the content that might be problematic.  

 

You have four good size male tours (PGA, EPGA(DP), Champions and KF), two women's (LPGA and LET) and countless college events.  But once you start getting "down the list" you run out of production support.  Not enough cameras, towers, etc. to effectively film it and produce it.

 

The "live from" stuff has to be infinitely easier to produce than an actual golf tournament.  Tons of swing clinic stuff they could put out there too if someone was willing to make it.  A launch monitor explanation show would get watched.  There are guys putting vids on youtube of launch monitor explanations with millions of views.

Viewers would even watch LIVE at the range.....watching touring pros setup, gadgets, etc....add in trackman. Solid gold....IMO

[bscinstnct]

From what I see in a quick google, the demand for the week day coverage and tournament related coverage is excellent. And you need a team of Brandeis etc to at least report on the events in some depth to compliment the fan interest in the events themselves into and during the weekend. 
 

GC probably pays its own bills on its own but even if it’s slightly in the red, in the context of being the place to go for golf news, weekday coverage, info on events and players, I imagine it adds value to NBCs platform.