 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United States Canada Caribbean Europe Asia |
| Headquarters | Stamford, Connecticut |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Comcast (NBCUniversal)(pending spinoff toVersant) |
| Sister channels | NBC NBC Sports Regional Networks Universo CNBC USA Network |
| History | |
| Launched | January 17, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-01-17) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | DirecTV Stream,FuboTV,Hulu + Live TV,Sling TV,YouTube TV |
Golf Channel (also verbally referred to as simply "Golf" or "NBC Golf") is an Americansports televisionnetwork owned by theNBC Sports Group division ofNBCUniversal, a subsidiary ofComcast. Founded inBirmingham, Alabama,[1] it is currently based in NBC Sports' headquarters inStamford, Connecticut.
Launched on January 16, 1995, the channel focuses on coverage of the sport ofgolf, including live coverage of tournaments, as well as factual and instructional programming. It is the cable television rightsholder of thePGA Tour,LPGA Tour, andPGA European Tour, and also holds rights to selectedUSGA tournaments and theNCAA Division I golf championships. Since 2016, it has also participated inNBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics, focusing on itsgolf competitions.
Via the Golf Channel unit, Comcast also owns other golf-related businesses, including the course reservation serviceGolfNow, online golf instruction provider Revolution Golf, and theWorld Long Drive Championship. Some of these associated properties operate from the network's former home ofOrlando, Florida.
As of December 2023[update], Golf Channel is available to approximately 59 million pay television households in the United States-down from its 2012 peak of 85 million households.[2]
The idea of a 24-hour golf network came from media entrepreneur Joseph E. Gibbs ofBirmingham,Alabama,[3] who first thought of such a concept in 1991.[4] Gibbs felt there was enough interest in golf among the public to support such a network, and commissioned aGallup Poll to see if his instincts were correct. With the support of the polling behind him, Gibbs and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer then secured $80 million in financing from several cable television providers (includingAdelphia Communications Corporation,Cablevision Industries,Comcast,Continental Cablevision,Newhouse, and theTimes Mirror Company) to launch the network, which was among the first subscription networks developed to cover one singular sport.
Announced in February 1993,[5][6][7] the launch date was targeted for May 1994;[1] and it was launched on January 17, 1995, asThe Golf Channel with a ceremonial flip of the switch by co-founderArnold Palmer.[8][9][10] The first live tournament the channel televised was theDubai Desert Classic, held January 19–22. Originally a premium channel with limited subscribers,[11] it retooled in September 1995 to be part of basic-tier pay television to reach more viewers, and ratings rapidly increased.[12] In 1996,Fox Cable Networks acquired a minority stake in the channel for $50 million.[13][14]
From 1999 to 2001, Golf Channel held part of thePGA Tour's cable rights for early-round coverage. To boost their availability, Golf Channel reached an agreement withFox Sports Networks (FSN) to airsimulcasts of the coverage. In 2002, Golf Channel lost its rights to the main PGA Tour, but gained rights to the developmentalBuy.com Tour.[15][16][17]
In 2001, Fox sold its 30.9% stake in Golf Channel, as well as its stake inOutdoor Life Network, to minority ownerComcast as part of a larger transaction by Fox to acquire Comcast's stake inSpeedvision.[13][14] In December 2003, Comcast acquired the remaining 8.6% stake of Golf Channel it did not already own from theTribune Company, giving it full ownership.[18][19]
In January 2007, Golf Channel became the exclusive cable broadcaster of the PGA Tour as part of a new 15-year contract, replacingESPN andUSA Network. The contract included early-round coverage of all official money events, and 13 events per-season carried exclusively by the network. By then, Golf Channel had carriage in 75 million homes.[18] It also simplified its branding, dropping thearticleThe from its on-air name.[20]
Concurrently, Comcast also launchedVersus/Golf HD, a1080ihigh definition channel featuring programming from Golf Channel and sister networkVersus. Golf Channel programming was broadcast during the daytime hours, and Versus programming was broadcast during the evening and primetime hours. This arrangement ended in December 2008, when both networks launched their own 24-hour high-definition simulcasts.[21]
In March 2008, Comcast acquired the online golf reservation platformGolfNow. It was re-located to Golf Channel's headquarters in Orlando.[22][23]
In January 2011, Comcastacquired a 51% majority stake inNBC Universal fromGeneral Electric. As a result of the re-alignment of Comcast's existing properties into NBC Universal, Golf Channel and sister sports networkVersus were subsumed by a restructuredNBC Sports division. On-air synergies between NBC's existing production unit began to take effect in February 2011 at theWGC Match Play Championship, when NBC's golf telecasts took on the Golf Channel branding as "Golf Channel on NBC", in a similar manner toESPN's co-branding of sports output on ABC. NBC Sports personalities could now appear on Golf Channel, and former NBC Sports senior vice presidentMike McCarley took over as the network's new head. The network also adopted an amended logo featuring theNBC peacock.[24]
In December 2013, Golf Channel unveiled a new logo, implemented in May 2014 to coincide with the2014 Players Championship. The new logo replaces the "swinging G" emblem that had been used since the network's launch with awordmark alongside the NBC peacock. The new logo was meant to provide a unified brand across Golf Channel's associated properties and services.[25] That month, it also partnered withSirius XM PGA Tour Radio to feature audio simulcasts of its studio programming.[26]
In 2014, Golf Channel acquired rights to theNCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship. In 2015, it also began to broadcast theNCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships. In 2017, Golf Channel extended its rights to the tournaments through 2029.[27]
On June 8, 2015, it was announced that NBC Sports had acquired rights toThe Open Championship beginning in 2017 under a 12-year deal;[28] after former broadcasterESPN opted out of the final year of rights, NBC began coverage in2016 instead.[29] Early round coverage is aired by Golf Channel, which marked the first time ever that Golf Channel had ever broadcast one of the fourMen's major golf championships.[28] On May 3, 2016, NBC announced that Golf Channel would air the bulk of themen's and women's golf tournaments for the2016 Summer Olympics, covering up to 300 hours of the tourney, with 130 of those hours live.[30]
In 2016, Golf Channel acquired the World Long Drivers Association, organizer of theWorld Long Drive Championships; coverage of its events were subsequently added to the network.[31] In 2017, Golf Channel acquired Revolution Golf, an online provider of golf instructional materials.[32]
On January 14, 2018, broadcast technicians represented by IATSE went on strike affecting tournament coverage for the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii, Web.com from the Bamahas and Diamond Resorts Invitational in Orlando. Ten days later the striking workers returned to work after a new contract was ratified on January 24, 2018.[33]
In February 2019, Golf Channel announced a new subscription service known as GolfPass. The service will feature a variety of content, including a streaming library of archive content, instructional content, as well as special offers (such as credit for free round of golf per-year, and a premium tier offering additional discounts).Rory McIlroy will also be involved in the service, hosting new instructional content for GolfPass, as well as an autobiographical web series.[34][35]
In February 2020, it was reported that Golf Channel would consolidate its television operations with the remainder of NBC Sports at its facilities inStamford, Connecticut, in a move expected to occur over the next 12 to 18 months.[36] The GolfNow and GolfPass services will continue to primarily operate from Orlando. With the move to Stamford, Golf Channel also ended its long-time morning showMorning Drive, replacing it with the new midday showGolf Today from Stamford beginning January 4, 2021.[37][38]
In 2021, amid the renewal of NBC Sports' rights to the circuit, and the upcoming shutdown of long-time sister networkNBCSN (the former Versus), NBCUniversal began to put a greater emphasis on Golf Channel's rights to the PGA Tour. That November, it was announced that early-round coverage of the Open Championship, U.S. Open (which moved to Golf Channel after NBC re-acquired the rights to USGA tournaments in 2020), and their women's counterparts, would move toUSA Network in 2022.[39] At the2022 Players Championship, Golf Channel adopted a special logo used on-air during PGA Tour telecasts and studio programming, which is co-branded with elements of the PGA Tour logo.[40][41]
Golf Channel is the pay television rightsholder of thePGA Tour, broadcasting live coverage of early rounds, and early window coverage of weekend rounds prior to network television coverage. Some events (particularly, late-season events such as the formerFall Series, and additional events) are broadcast in their entirety by the network. Golf Channel airs primetime encores of each round during PGA Tour events, including network television broadcasts from NBC or CBS where applicable. If the schedule permits, Golf Channel may also provide coverage produced by CBS if weather delays force golf coverage to run past the scheduled window using CBS production staff and graphics. Golf Channel also broadcasts coverage ofPGA Tour Champions andKorn Ferry Tour events. Outside of events organized by the PGA Tour, Golf Channel also carries coverage of theEuropean Tour,LPGA Tour, andAsian Tour.
Golf Channel was the cable broadcaster of two of themen's majors, including theU.S. Open and otherUSGA championships (since June 2020) and theOpen Championship (since 2016, including theirwomen's andsenior men's events). In November 2021, it was announced that early round coverage of the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, the U.S. Women's Open, and the Women's British Open, would move toUSA Network beginning in 2022.[39]
Since 2016, it participates inNBCUniversal's coverage of the Summer Olympics by covering itsgolf competitions. It has also carried coverage of theRyder Cup andSolheim Cup alongside NBC, and the NCAA Division IMen's andWomen's golf championships.
Since its integration with NBC Sports, Golf Channel has been infrequently used as an overflow channel for non-golf programming, including two games of the2018 Stanley Cup playoffs (due to programming conflicts withUSA Network andCNBC), and as part of NBC's "Championship Sunday" effort to televise all matches on the final matchday of thePremier League soccer season.[42][43]
Golf Channel uses a number of people for tournament, news and instructional programming.[44]
For the month of October 2013, Golf Channel averaged a daily viewership of 84,000.[55]
The Golf Channel is also available in Canada on most cable and satellite providers, as it is authorized for carriage as a foreign cable television service by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. While it mostly airs the American feed, live events coverage is subject to blackouts due toTSN holding many of its broadcasting rights domestically. Contrarily, the Canadian feed carries coverage of some events (particularly early round coverage of The Open Championship) whose rights are not owned by a Canadian network (TSN only holds rights to NBC's network coverage of the Open), but became unavailable in the country due to their move to USA Network and/or Peacock.
Golf Channel Poland (Polish Golf Channel Polska) is licensed version of the network owned by MWE Networks launched on March 18, 2017.
A British version of the channel called Golf Channel UK was operated by sporting goods retailerJJB Sports, and was available on theBSkyB satellite service. It broadcast many of the programs seen on the U.S. channel, but was unable to attract a viable audience as it offered few live golf tournaments; the channel shut down on December 31, 2007.[citation needed]
Since the acquisition ofSky plc by Comcast in late-2018, NBC Sports properties have begun to increase their collaboration withSky Sports for expanded coverage of relevant events; Golf Channel and Sky Sports Golf trialed on-air talent sharing and co-productions at the2019 Players Championship.[56]
The Latin American version of the Golf Channel was launched in 2006 as aDirecTV joint venture, and was acquired fromDirecTV by former DirecTV executives Jason Markham and Evan Grayer together with Inversiones Bahia in 2018.[57] The channel broadcasts professional tournaments from the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamérica, European Tour and LPGA Tour with Spanish-speaking journalists, as well as Golf Central and other English-language shows.[58] In 2019,Discovery bought the channel, but continues to license the brand and service marks for Golf Channel from Comcast.[59]
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